Hokies Stun No. 2 Wolfpack in Historic Win

Jay Winters

January 28, 2021

BLACKSBURG, Va. - It felt as if a giant weight had been lifted off the roof of Cassell Coliseum, as a game abundant in clutch shots and deja-vu came to a satisfying and deserving end for head coach Kenny Brooks and company.

“Y’all weren’t gonna make it easy, huh?” Brooks said while embracing Aisha Sheppard walking off the court.

The Hokies didn’t make it easy on any of the 200-plus in attendance, but Virginia Tech’s defeat of No. 2 NC State 83-71 in overtime could arguably be the biggest in program history, and a game where Tech had to overcome a heap of adversity.

“We needed that,” a relieved Brooks said postgame. “Very proud of the kids and their performance, and very proud of them period. The way they’ve handled everything that's been happening, I’m just very proud.”

In shades of the game just four days ago, Tech proved to State that it could play with anyone in the country, but it was not without its difficulties.

NC State, still without star center Elissa Cunane, jumped out to a four-point lead in the first quarter that would stick until halftime, led by Cunane’s backup in sophomore Camille Hobby.

Hobby netted eight points and six rebounds in the first half, but more importantly held Elizabeth Kitley to two points, while the rest of the Wolfpack D held Sheppard to zero.

The Hokies had multiple players step up in absence of the lack of scoring, however, including Azana Baines, who had 16 points by the end of the night, and Cayla King, who went 3-for-4 from three.

“Cayla King, Azana Baines, Georgia Amoore all did a really good job,” Brooks said. “The bench was good. It was short but good, and I’m proud of them.

The calm and resilient duo of Kitley and Sheppard, words which would be a theme for the entire team for this game, made adjustments and contributed heavily in the second half, as the duo scored a combined 25 points by the end of regulation.

As with all Tech games, it came down to the final minute, but it looked as if the Hokies were going to pull it off after a Sheppard three gave the Hokies a lead, followed by Kitley free throws that pushed the lead to 57-54 with around twenty seconds left.

Then, it all happened. A broken play. A desperation heave from Hobby. The Wolfpack bench going bonanzas, and a sense of dread from the Hokie faithful.

Tech could’ve easily folded after the unbelievable three from Hobby that sent the game into overtime, but the calm composure of Brooks and the players proved otherwise, even if the crowd reacted oppositely.

“I told the kids, ‘If you don’t think we're going to win the basketball game, you can get up and leave,’” Brooks said. “Right then and there was a little bit of an eruption and they believed, and I think it helped too that Shepp hit the first three-pointer of the overtime.”

That three-pointer would put the Hokies ahead for good, and the Hokies succeeded in what they haven’t been able to do all year: finishing a game.

Baines and Kitley followed Sheppard with jumpers and a couple of free throws, but it was a three with 1:22 to go from the senior guard that would prove to be the dagger and put the Hokies up 69-60.

The Wolfpack pulled within five, but a technical foul on head coach Wes Moore gave Sheppard four free throws, the ball back, a lead too large for the Wolfpack to overcome and a long deserved Hokie victory.

“To see all these things come to fruition, and to be able to beat the number two team in the country, those are things I’ve literally dreamed about since being a little girl,” Sheppard said. “Just being able to say that I’ve stayed here all four years and stayed the course, I love that I’ve trusted the process and that the coaches have put their trust in me and my teammates.”

The historic win is the Hokies first ever against a top-four team, as Tech was previously 0-44, and specifically 0-11 against the No. 2 team.

As much as the Hokies will celebrate the win, Sheppard and Brooks made a clear point that there is still plenty of basketball to be played, and the team is still hungry and not satisfied with just one win.

“We understand that it's okay to take a breath and take a moment to celebrate,” Sheppard said. “We have been through a lot, but we still have a lot of season left and we’re going to continue to move forward.”

With new life, the Hokies now look to ride the momentum and sweep the season series against UNC Sunday at 4 p.m. in Cassell Coliseum.