Vengeful Tar Heels Dominate Hokies, 71-46

By Ryan Wilkes

Staff Writer

January 9, 2022

With fresh legs following a week-long break after Virginia canceled Thursday’s game with Virginia Tech because of covid issues within UVa’s program, Cayla King pulled up for a jumper, giving the Hokies a 4-2 lead early in the first quarter.

That would be the last time the Hokies grasped the lead.

From that point on, No. 19 North Carolina (14-1, 4-1 ACC) dominated every facet of the game to steamroll past Virginia Tech (11-4, 3-1 ACC) en route to a 76-41 victory in Chapel Hill, N.C.

The Tar Heels, vengeful after a blowout loss on the road against rival No. 5 NC State, made no mistake in throwing all they had at the Hokies. Head coach Kenny Brooks and Co. struggled to handle the barrage.

With a swarming defensive strategy, the Heels were able to force 11 first half turnovers. After capitalizing on the turnovers, North Carolina held an 18-point lead heading into halftime. The turnovers kept coming in the second half, thus allowing the Heels’ lead to grow.

Despite a solid 5-of-10 start from the field, the Hokies could not find the bottom of the basket for the rest of the game, shooting just 18-of-58 (31%) and 4-of-24 (16.7%) from three. Elizabeth Kitley was the lone offensive bright spot, leading the way on her fifth consecutive double-double with 14 points and 17 rebounds.

Following a fastbreak attempt, star guard Aisha Sheppard was carried off the court with an apparent lower leg injury, adding to the Hokies’ woes.

The offensive attack for the Heels was well spread out as four-out of-five starters finished in double figures. Almost completely opposite from the Hokies, the Heels shot 44% from the field and made it rain with eight threes. Eva Hodgson paced Carolina off the bench with 19 points including four threes.

Virginia Tech needs to have a short memory as it prepares to travel to Durham to take on No. 17 Duke, a team looking for revenge after its previous loss against the Hokies.

North Carolina will have a week to prepare for a trip to South Bend for a top-25 matchup against No. 20 Notre Dame.