No. 9 Virginia Tech cruises by Georgia Tech in record-setting victory

By Duncan Irvine

Staff Writer

February 26, 2023

ATLANTA — In potentially her final regular season game, Liz Kitley did what she always does - dominate. The senior had another monster game en route to No. 9 Virginia Tech’s (24-4, 14-4 ACC) 65-52 victory over Georgia Tech (13-16, 4-14 ACC) on Sunday afternoon. She put up 29 points, 11 rebounds, and a block, with her 29 points being a season-high.

Throughout her tenure in Blacksburg, Kitley has continued to take her game to new heights, finishing as the program’s all-time leading scorer whether or not she decides to return for another year. Along with her own personal ascension, she has elevated the entire team to never-before-seen levels of success. The victory over Georgia Tech was the Hokies’ 14th ACC win of the year, breaking last year’s record high of 13 wins.

The Hokies entered the game looking to lock up a double-bye in the ACC tournament and head into the postseason on an eight-game win streak.

Cayla King got things going for the Hokies early, completing a four-point play to put VT up 6-4 heading into the first media timeout. King, who averages just 8.5 points per game, had 7 at the end of the first quarter thanks to another foul on a three-point attempt later in the quarter.

Kitley utilized some beautiful footwork in the paint to grab six early points, an early sign of how the rest of the game would go. 

Georgia Tech had trouble capitalizing on early Hokies’ shooting woes, as Tech shot just 35% from the field in the first frame.

As many before have tried, GT was simply unable to stop Liz Kitley. She continued to make light work of the Yellow Jackets’ interior defense, picking up 16 first half points. 

Georgia Amoore struggled throughout the game, going 0-for-4 from the field in the first half and 3-for-11 overall. She still was productive, however, collecting seven assists and two steals. 

Where she struggled, Kayana Traylor shined. The Indiana native had 10 points and three assists at the halfway point. She kept it up in the second half, finishing the day with 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a steal.

There was never really a time when the game felt in doubt. Virginia Tech got out to an early lead and never took its foot off the gas. 

Georgia Tech guard Cameron Swartz did everything in her power to try and pull off the upset though. She made the Hokies sweat slightly going into the half, scoring six-straight points, cutting the lead to 37-25. 

Swartz led the Yellow Jackets with 10 points at the half and came out of the break still firing, knocking down a couple of quick threes. 

No matter how many shots she hit, Georgia Tech just couldn’t seem to make up any ground. Virginia Tech stretched its lead to 16 points off of a Kitley and-one with four minutes to play in the third quarter, seemingly blowing out the flickering flame of hope that Georgia Tech had at mounting a comeback. 

Swartz continued to ball out, going bucket-for-bucket with Kitley in the third. Through three quarters, she had 20 points, as many as the rest of her teammates combined. Despite her best efforts, the Hokies led 56-40 heading into the fourth quarter. 

With five minutes to play in the final quarter, Liz Kitley hit a mid range jumper to pick up her 29th point of the game, giving her a season-high with time to spare. Georgia Tech sold out on defense, sometimes triple-teaming Kitley to try and force the rest of the team to beat them. Unfortunately, it was too little too late, and the Yellow Jackets couldn’t seem to get anything going offensively, blowing any chance of a late comeback.

Three players scored double digits for Tech, with Cayla King (10) joining the aforementioned Kitley (29) and Traylor (14).

The Hokies shot 43.3% from the field and just 27.3% from three throughout the game. Conversely, Georgia Tech shot 38.2% overall and 41.7% from three. 

With the loss, Georgia Tech drops to 13-16 on the year and finishes 4-14 in ACC play. The Yellow Jackets will be the No. 14 seed in the conference tournament.

The Hokies (24-4, 14-4) will be the No. 3 seed in this year’s ACC tournament, which gets them a double-bye into the quarterfinals, meaning they can sit back and watch the first two rounds of the tournament with relative comfort. 

Virginia Tech will be back in action on March 3, when the Hokies will face one of the trio of Boston College, Georgia Tech and Miami in Greensboro.

The Hokies currently are a projected No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament, and with a strong showing in the ACC tournament, they can solidify their position on a national level. Liz Kitley and Co. have accomplished a lot in her time, but have yet to make it to the second weekend of the tournament, something done just once in Hokie history in 1999 when Tech reached the Sweet 16.