No. 8 Virginia Tech taking away lessons, experience in loss to No. 3 Iowa

By Jack Brizendine

Editor-in-Chief

November 10, 2023

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Three years ago, Virginia Tech finished its season with a 15-10 record.

That year, Tech’s goal was simple: get a first round bye in the ACC tournament.

It did that, in part thanks to three rising stars: freshman Georgia Amoore, and sophomores Cayla King and Elizabeth Kitley.

The Hokies weren’t a lock to get into the NCAA tournament that year, but received a 7-seed and snagged an opening round win over Marquette before getting trounced by Baylor. At the time, it was a season that met expectations. 

It’s been a gradual climb ever since for Kenny Brooks and Co., developing from NCAA tournament hopefuls into national contenders. Two years after getting bounced in the second round by Baylor, the Hokies earned a No. 1 seed and surged all the way to the Final Four, both firsts in program history.

Tech’s evolution into a top-ten outfit is hard to measure, but simply participating in the 2023 Ally Tipoff game is evidence enough of the program’s ascension.

“I came in my freshman year and we weren’t great,” Amoore said. “In non-conference [play, we] could have never believed we would be in the situation we are right now.

“It’s absolutely massive for us, but [also] women’s basketball in general. I hope that we inspired many younger girls or even high school girls to really aspire and play college basketball because it’s massive.”

Brooks’ No. 8 Virginia Tech team narrowly fell to the Caitlin Clark-led No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes on Thursday in Charlotte, 80-76. Despite the disappointing loss, just being selected for the marquee matchup was a testament to how far the program has come in a short time.

Going toe-to-toe with one of the top teams and the best player in the country in a standalone game, the Hokies showed just how much they belong in the elite echelon of the sport.

“First and foremost, [I] want to thank Charlotte Sports Club and Ally — that was awesome,” Brooks said to reporters after the game. “It was unbelievable from the way we walked into Charlotte and we saw our faces on billboards. The way that they publicized it, to where we walked around town, to walk[ing] into the building. The police escort was unbelievable.

“It was big time, it was really big time. And for me, it’s so gratifying. I used to coach on the men’s side and I switched over to the women’s side and I’ve been fighting and championing for the cause for a long time for women to be able to get this opportunity.

“Tonight it was like a dream come true.”

Following a couple of off-balance shots to begin the game, the Hokies settled in and ended the first quarter with an 18-15 lead, courtesy of a buzzer-beating halfcourt heave from Amoore.

The Australian facilitator led Tech with 31 points on the night on 10-for-23 (43.4%) shooting, including 7-0f-14 (50%) from range. In a game headlined by Iowa’s star point guard, Amoore shined under the bright lights as well, routinely making difficult shots in addition to her Curry-esque make from the center court logo. 

The energized play from the Hokies guard converted to the Tech faithful in attendance, keeping the crowd on its feet for the length of the night. It was the biggest regular season crowd the team has played in front of in program history, with the listed attendance marked at 15,196 (H/T Damian Salas).

“[The environment] was unreal,” Amoore said. “For our second game in November, to have a 15,000 [person] turnout — it’s what you dream of when you come to college. Being a woman in sports, we’ve been in gyms that have had not many people, we’ve been in gyms that have had not the best facilities. 

“To be put on spotlight in an NBA arena with a great opponent, that’s just what you could dream of and ask about.”

Clark proved her dominance, though, leading all scorers with 44 points. The sport’s most polarizing figure carried Iowa offensively, scoring or assisting on 19 of the Hawkeyes’ 28 baskets on the night.

The star point guard made life on defense tough for the Hokies, forcing Tech to foul and allowing Clark to net 13 shots from the charity stripe on the night.

King — Tech’s primary defender on Clark — earned her second foul less than five minutes into the game, forcing VT to utilize its depth. 

Brooks’ reserves lived up to the moment, keeping the Hokies afloat while starters had to sit — a refreshing luxury for a team that regularly played seven or fewer players a year ago. 

Redshirt freshman point guard Carleigh Wenzel played particularly well, shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the field: a pair of threes and two “and-one” finishes. She ended the night with 11 points, good for third-most on the team.

“I really didn’t know how I was going to come out and play,” Wenzel said. “I think I kind of just took what I was given. I wasn’t coming out trying to get two and-one layups or take a dribble pull-up three. I think I kind of just played in the moment.”

Despite the loss, the moment didn’t seem to be too big for the Hokies. Between Iowa’s physicality and a couple of untimely foul calls, Tech never wavered, keeping the game within a possession down to the final seconds.

While the game will go down as a loss for the Hokies, the learning experience will prove key throughout the year as Tech adjusts to being in the national spotlight. 

“We’re a work in progress,” Brooks said. “We played Monday night and I was nervous as I’ve ever been for a game and we played against High Point. I was so nervous because I did not know my group. I didn’t know how they were going to respond when the lights were turned on.

“For them to go out, play extremely well and then [under] the brightest lights tonight — I’ve been in this arena before when Steph Curry was in here and it wasn’t as loud.”

Brooks' team deserved to be in the moment, and now having experienced a postseason environment just two weeks into the season, it will be prepared to be the hunted instead of the hunter.

“We didn’t do everything right, we didn’t,” Brooks said. “But we played hard and we will fix the things we need to fix. But I’m very proud of our effort.”