Hokies Snap Four-Game Losing Streak With Win in Chapel Hill

Topher Wagner

January 15, 2021

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Behind a strong second half from Elizabeth Kitley, the Virginia Tech Hokies snapped their four-game losing skid, beating North Carolina 66-54.

Entering this contest, the Hokies were reeling after losing their last four conference games by narrow margins. Early on, this back and forth affair appeared to be trending towards a similar result as the Tar Heels led by as many as seven points. However, behind a strong defensive performance where the Hokies held their rivals to just 27% shooting from the field, Virginia Tech was able to pull away late.

“It was a game of grit and it wasn’t always pretty;, there were stretches in the first half that we went a long time without scoring,” Virginia Tech head coach Kenny Brooks said after the Hokies’ win. “But when you have two of the better players in the conference that can go off and score, then you get Georgia Amoore and Cayla King to step up, that’s a team that I envisioned us having.”

The start of this ACC matchup was a defensive struggle as both the Hokies and Tar Heels turned the ball over at a high rate. Despite the low scoring, Virginia Tech ended the first half on a high note as Kitley nailed a running floater at the buzzer to take a 27-24 lead. Both teams looked to make some serious second half adjustments as the Hokies’ star duo of Kitley and Aisha Sheppard had put up a combined 10 points, while North Carolina’s leading scorer Janelle Bailey had just six points.

Down the stretch, the Hokies pulled away and never trailed in the second half, driven by strong three-point shooting. King, in particular, was on fire as the sophomore guard put up five three-pointers off the bench. So far this season, North Carolina’s opponents have shot early and often from beyond the arc and Virginia Tech exploited this weakness to the tune of 11 made deep balls.

After a quiet first half, Kitley exploded to start the third quarter as the Tar Heels had no answer for the star center. The North Carolina native had 12 of the Hokies’ 25 points in the frame and simply took over for Virginia Tech on both sides of the ball, producing highlight worthy blocks and converting three-point plays from the line to extend their lead. She finished with 18 points on the night.

“It’s exciting to play in North Carolina; normally I’d have a lot of family here, but my parents were still able to make it so having them there and being in my home state made me comfortable,” Kitley said on playing close to her hometown of Summerfield, N.C. “We really dug in tight and I think that we showed that whether they went on runs or not, we stayed focused and we played our game. It turned out to be a win and we broke the losing streak.”

Up by 14 points going into the fourth quarter, the Hokies hoped to put North Carolina away but recent fourth quarter woes continued as the Tar Heels rallied hard, going on a 12-4 run over nearly eight minutes. As North Carolina seemed primed to steal the game from Virginia Tech, Georgia Amoore stepped up, breaking multiple press breaks and assisting on two deep King three-pointers to put the contest away.

“I think we just did it for each other this game,” King said after breaking the losing streak. “When the other team went on a run, we just looked at each other and said, ‘we got this, this is our game, let’s tough it out.’”

The second straight ACC loss drops North Carolina to 2-4 in conference play and 7-4 overall. The Tar Heels’ next game is at No. 24 Syracuse next Tuesday in a rematch between the two squads following North Carolina’s blowout win earlier this season.

For the Hokies, they’ve snapped their four-game losing streak and sit at 7-4 on the season, 2-4 in the ACC. Up next, they’ll return to Cassell Coliseum to face off against Wake Forest in their first matchup of the year against the Demon Deacons.