Embedded Files
By Carter Hill
Staff Writer
February 6, 2023
Virginia Tech's Georgia Amoore scored a career-high 27 points in the Hokies' 73-61 victory over NC State. (Virginia Tech Athletics)
RALEIGH, N.C. — With the ball preparing to be tipped inside Reynolds Coliseum, and No. 11 Virginia Tech seeking its first victory over No. 22 N.C. State in Raleigh in its program history, the Hokies were in need of a fast start.
Turns out, they got just that.
Two early layups on Tech’s first two possessions from star center Elizabeth Kitley gave the maroon and orange the early 4-0 advantage. And just seconds later, a Cayla King triple with a foul tacked on almost instantly had the Hokies off to an 8-0 start. Just 1:39 seconds had ticked off the clock, yet all the momentum had immediately flocked the way of Virginia Tech.
It’s momentum that seethed in the Hokies direction, and momentum they would never relinquish, as Tech (19-4, 9-4 ACC) led from start to finish against the 22nd-ranked Wolfpack, taking down N.C. State (16-7, 6-6), 73-61, in the school’s annual Play4Kay game on Monday evening.
“[That was] massive,” standout point guard Georgia Amoore said regarding the team’s early start. “I think our biggest focal point this season is getting off to a good start, because we’re a team that was used to feeling teams out.
“We knew that this game we wanted to jump on their throats from the get-go and make it hard to come back.”
Amoore’s performance certainly was one to remember. The junior from Australia went for a career-high 27 points in the 12-point victory, erupting for 20 of those in the second half, and going a clutch 11-of-21 from the field and 5-of-11 from three.
“Nothing that she does surprises me,” Hokies’ seventh-year head coach Kenny Brooks said. “She’s getting better and better. … I texted her last night and I said, ‘You’re the best player on the floor, go out and prove it.’ And she says, ‘Okay.’ She believes she’s that type of player. … When she’s this good, we’re terrific. And we’re hard to beat.”
That they were, with Kitley’s 25 points being a big reason why, too. The Summerfield, N.C. native grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds over the course of the evening, leading the way for a Tech team that outrebounded the Wolfpack with ease at a 42-24 differential.
That’s not all, either. The Hokies finished the night shooting 49.1% (26-of-53) from the floor, 47.4% (9-of-19) from deep, a telling 92.3% (12-of-13) from the charity stripe and got all but three points from Amoore and Kitley in the second half.
Defensively, Tech was stifling, too.
The Hokies held N.C. State to just 40% (24-of-60) from the floor, limited the Wolfpack to just six assists and kept the core of the State starting lineup fairly in check. With King plagued with foul trouble in the latter half of the contest, Tech went zone for the fourth period of play, potentially immobilizing a typically potent Pack offense.
“I think that kind of stagnated them a little bit,” Brooks said. “I thought we did a good job of taking them away from some things. … We were then able to rebound out of the zone. I was really proud of our defense and the way the kids executed it.”
Perhaps the most impressive stat of the day, though, was the Hokies’ ability to counter. Tech matched every run the Wolfpack made punch-for-punch, with the waning minutes of the third quarter serving as the crowned jewel.
Leading just 50-48 after a 7-0 N.C. State run, the Hokies went on a 8-0 binge of their own in the final 1:21 to make it a 58-48 ballgame at the end of the frame. Tech never really looked back from there, and never let the home team crawl back to within less than seven the rest of the way.
“[We] just stayed composed,” Amoore said. “It’s a game of runs, and we knew that that was their run. Just trusting our offense and the looks we were getting, because we were getting really good looks. It wasn’t anything to worry about, because we knew that was their little punch at us.”
The ability to stay composed could be attributed to the aforementioned start. Tech had a 13-2 advantage just four minutes into the contest, really setting the tone for the rest of the way.
“I thought our kids kept their poise throughout the basketball game,” Brooks said. “Maybe that start that we had was a confidence booster to let us know that we could do it.
“But I thought we answered the bell every time they came after us. And the start was probably the reason we were able to stay so confident.”
Though Amoore and Kitley stood as the stars of the show, Tech also got a valuable 10 points and three triples from the senior King throughout the duration of the evening, and D’asia Gregg added a strong five points across 22 much-needed minutes off the bench for the maroon and orange.
N.C. State did get 16 points out of star guard Diamond Johnson at the top of the key. But at the end of the day, it wasn’t enough.
The monkey is finally off the back for the Hokies in Raleigh. Though more importantly, a victory like this inside Reynolds Coliseum speaks volume about the program from where it is now, compared to where it used to be.
Monday night was only the third time in program history that Tech women’s basketball saw itself televised on national television. So for the Hokies to take advantage, is a big-time statement in front of the entire country.
“Tremendous win,” Brooks said. “We’ve been close here, just haven’t been able to finish the deal. … To be able to get over that hump is something they really felt good about in the locker room afterwards. … To win a game of this magnitude, on this night, on national television, I think it gives our program some credibility.
“For us to perform like this, I think it really validates what we’ve been doing.”
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