No. 19 Virginia Tech demolishes Georgia Tech, 87-69

Duncan Irvine

Staff Writer

January 26, 2024

BLACKSBURG — On Thursday night, No. 19 Virginia Tech (15-4, 6-2 ACC) defeated Georgia Tech (13-7, 4-4) 87-69 on the back of an absolutely monster night for two-time ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley and co-star Georgia Amoore.

The pair combined for 53 points, well over half of the Hokies’ total offensive output.

Kitley opened the game with a vengeance, tallying 16 points on perfect 8-for-8 shooting in the first quarter, outscoring the Yellow Jackets’ whole team output of 13.

“Liz was phenomenal in the first quarter, probably the best quarter of basketball I’ve ever seen here,” Tech head coach Kenny Brooks said to reporters after the game.

The performance was no surprise to Brooks, who expected a potential career night from his star center before the ball was even tipped.

“I told her when we worked out before the shoot around and she wasn’t missing, I said ‘Why don’t you just go for 40?’ And she got 16 in the first quarter,” Brooks said. “I thought she was really well on her way to doing it. They started playing her a little bit differently and you know, she’s unselfish and she was dropping it off.”

Amoore returned to the lineup following an injury in last Thursday's game against Duke and immediately reminded the Hokies how much they missed her. She finished the first half one assist shy of a double-double, racking up 11 points and nine assists.

As both teams settled in in the second quarter, Georgia Tech found its rhythm. The Hokies got into foul trouble early on, which limited them defensively. The Yellow Jackets outplayed the Hokies, outscoring them 22-18. 

Two late Georgia Amoore buckets pushed the Hokies’ advantage back to 11, giving them a 46-35 lead heading into the half.

Tonie Morgan led Georgia Tech with 12 points and Rusne Augustinaite contributed eight. 

The Hokies needed a dominant third period to avoid letting the lead shrink even further. 

Dominance is what they needed, and dominance is what they got. 

Tech put on a defensive clinic to open the second half, limiting Georgia Tech to ten points in the entire quarter, and a measly three points in the first six and a half minutes of the frame.

Amoore led the way, continuing her late second-quarter surge, scoring the team’s first five points and accumulating her tenth assist on a Kitley bucket. 

She closed the quarter with 18 points and 11 assists. Kitley’s numbers climbed to 27 points and eight boards.

Liz Kitley put the finishing touches on the game with an emphatic block three minutes into the fourth quarter. Just when Georgia Tech seemed to be figuring out a way to get back into the game, Kitley had something to say about it.

Olivia Summiel crossed the double-digit line with a 3-pointer in the fourth. She finished the night with 12 points on 5-for-5 shooting, snagging nine rebounds along the way.

“We just know when [Olivia is] out there she’s going to give it her all,” Kitley said. “She’s going to go out of her way to get those tough rebounds and do the little things that maybe don’t go as noticed. But we notice them and we appreciate for her that.”

Thursday night was an indication that Summiel has settled into her role with the team and will be invaluable to the Hokies’ success going forward.

When the dust settled, Kitley finished with 29 points and nine rebounds, going 13-for-20 from the field.

Amoore didn’t have too bad a night either, contributing 24 points on 9-for-16 shooting including going 4-for-7 from 3-point land and tallying 13 assists.

Virginia Tech shot 36-for-65 (55%) from the field compared to Georgia Tech’s 25-for-55 (46%). The Hokies also out-rebounded the Yellow Jackets 37-25, including five more boards on the offensive glass and seven more on the defensive end.

Both teams entered the game having lost two of their last three, so for both squads, it was a good chance to regain some momentum as the calendar inches closer to February.

Georgia Tech had the opportunity to pull off a major upset, but they never so much as led. Virginia Tech delivered a dominant performance in front of its home crowd.

Tonie Morgan finished as the Jackets’ leading scorer, dropping 26 points on 9-for-18 shooting. Rusne Augustinaite was the only other Yellow Jacket to reach double digits, finishing with 17. 

Next up, the Hokies will travel to north to take on No. 22 Syracuse (17-2, 7-1) this Sunday at noon, while the Yellow Jackets will return to Atlanta to take on No. 23 Florida State (14-7, 5-4).