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Carter Hill
Editor-in-Chief
February 8, 2024
Virginia Tech's Elizabeth Kitley put up 25 points and 13 rebounds in the Hokies' victory over No. 3 NC State. (Virginia Tech Athletics)
RALEIGH, N.C. – Well, that’s a massive win.
Utilizing 11 big-time threes, 15 offensive boards and a stifling defensive showing, 16th-ranked Virginia Tech (19-4, 10-2 ACC) took it to third-ranked NC State (20-3, 8-3) to seize control of the ACC regular season hunt in a 72-61 victory on Thursday night inside Reynolds Coliseum.
“Terrific win for us,” Tech eighth-year head coach Kenny Brooks said. “Obviously, any win in the ACC, and especially on the road, is a terrific win, but NC State, they’re the staple of this conference. [They’ve] won so many championships, and we watched them and admired their success. … Just to be able to get a win here in itself, it’s very tough.
“Tremendous performances all throughout.”
That it was. Tech shot a solid 40.3% (27-of-67) for the game and 36.7% (11-of-30) from three. Not only that, it held the Wolfpack to 35.6% (21-of-59) shooting and 6-of-18 (33.3%) from deep.
“There’s a lot of different ways of playing defense.” Brooks said. “A lot of the conventional ways, people think that you go out and trap and you cause havoc. We do a really good job of guarding the paint, and that’s the way we’re built. … We played to our strengths. I thought the kids did a phenomenal job of understanding the assignment, getting out there and playing and contesting.
“We went to the zone [in the] second quarter and slowed them down a little bit. … [I] thought we did a really good job. Our defense is getting better and we know what we want to do. They’re performing very well.”
Speaking of the paint, not only did the Hokies control the offensive glass, Tech limited standout center River Baldwin to just four points on the night, with the Florida State transfer tallying just a single field goal in the 11-point loss.
It also marks the fifth straight time that the Hokies have pulled down 10 or more offensive boards, showcasing a major reason why the tides have turned in their recent success.
That all starts with Clara Strack. The true freshman ripped down five offensive rebounds on Thursday evening, continuing to prove her value on the floor playing alongside Elizabeth Kitley, who also finished the night with five offensive boards.
“Anytime we can do that, you add that kind of rebounding prowess, along with Liz and what she’s able to do, we’re big,” Brooks said. “Clara gets in and she’s 6-foot-5, and what she may lack in athleticism, she’s long and athletic.
“She’s offering us a tremendous bonus in being able to rebound the basketball.”
Tech saw four of its scorers enter double figures. Kitley led the way with a typical 25 points and 13 boards. Matilda Ekh (14) and Cayla King (13) both played a key role by knocking in four threes each and Georgia Amoore nearly recorded a triple-double with 12 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Strack scored five points in the win, while Carleigh Wenzel added three after hitting a big-time trey. That shows the growth of this team, and it shows that it's far from what it was all the way back in November.
“I think people have come into their roles and realized their roles really nicely,” Kitley said. “Obviously, when you have the transfer portal and so many new pieces, it’s going to take a little while to really mesh and be able to realize what we need them to bring to the table. But I think Matilda’s doing an excellent job of that, Olivia [Summiel]’s been doing an excellent job of that, Clara’s been doing an excellent job of that.
“They’re bringing things that they weren’t necessarily bringing in November, but that just shows their willingness to learn and stick with it, and that’s not a coincidence.”
Perhaps, though, something that doesn’t show up on the statsheet, is the Hokies’ ability to win the 50-50 balls.
That’s something they’ve done well all year, and it had to be a factor if Tech were to leave with a win.
“Anytime you’re playing against the No. 3 ranked team in the country on the road, you have to win those battles,” Brooks said. “We were quick to the basketball, we understood it. … Getting those 50-50 balls were very key for us.”
All in all, this is as impressive of a regular season victory as we’ve seen from the Hokies in quite some time. They’ve now won six in a row, two straight in Reynolds Coliseum, swept the season series, and all of a sudden, though certainly a different squad, the parallels are starting to line up to what just occurred a season ago.
The stretch is tough ahead with trips to Louisville and Notre Dame and home games with Duke and North Carolina, but Tech’s started off the gauntlet strong, and it now controls its own destiny the rest of the way.
“Last year was last year, this is a new team, new flow,” Amoore said. “But it’s getting towards February, early March, so I think this is the perfect time to hit that peak and continue on it. I don’t think we go in and say, ‘This is where we were at last year, let’s do this.’
“It’s just taking it one game at a time, [that’s] really been our motto. 1-0, and I think changing our mindset to that has very much helped us get on this confidence streak.”
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