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Bradley Winterling
Staff Writer
March 22, 2024
Virginia Tech's Clara Strack was a big reason why the Hokies beat Marshall. (ESPN)
BLACKSBURG – No. 4 seed Virginia Tech (25-7) scored the most points in an NCAA Tournament game in program history as they took down No. 13 seed Marshall (26-7) on Friday by a margin of 43 points.
The Hokies silenced the Thundering Herd, 92-49. Without one of the best players in the country in Elizabeth Kitley, it was the fourth most points Tech has scored in a game all season.
Marshall’s frantic press defense was effective in the first quarter. It forced six Hokie turnovers and were only down 18-12 at the end of one.
“They’re all in, very committed to the pressure,” Tech head coach Kenny Brooks said. “You know, on a miss, they set up and they’re pressing. On a make they’re pressing, they’re trapping, they’re running around. They’re very good at what they do.
“I mentioned earlier that it’s fun watching them and how they progressed throughout the year. Their first few games, they were trying to do the same things, but they weren’t as sharp with it. And then towards the end of the year, they got a lot more aggressive and they knew what they were doing. So, we knew it was gonna present some challenges for us.”
Filling in for Kitley, freshman Clara Strack was able to get it going early. She scored the first basket of the game, and went 3-of-3 in the first.
Strack ended up finishing with 17 points on 7-7 shooting, just two points shy of her career-high. She even knocked down a three in the second quarter.
“Strack attack,” forward Olivia Summiel said. “That’s two words. We like to use them all the time. She’s fun to watch, and even more fun to play with, and I’m excited to see where her future goes, but she’s been huge for us this year. I think coach Brooks has said it a couple times, like, she could be starting on other programs, but she’s kind of taken her role and learned from the incredible Elizabeth Kitley.
“Obviously, we don’t have her with us within this tournament run, but I think Clara has definitely had [Kitley’s] leadership to learn from all year long. And to see her kind of step into her own tonight, I think it was really awesome. When she confidently knocked down that three, we were gassed for her. That was just absolutely incredible. So we’re really happy for her, ‘Strack attack.’”
Georgia Amoore got into some foul trouble in the first, leading Brooks to sit her for the entirety of the second quarter. However, Tech was not affected by her absence.
Without the star point guard, the Hokies outscored the Herd 24-13 in the period, and shot 6-of-10 from the floor. Carleigh Wenzel and Cayla King did a nice job at defeating Marshall’s press in Amoore’s absence.
Wenzel had 13 points, going 9-11 from the stripe. She also notched seven assists and six rebounds. King had two steals and shot 2-3 from deep, finishing with 10 points.
Summiel had an impact as well, grabbing 14 boards and scoring seven points.
“The way that everyone else stepped up, it is a blessing because she got a lot of rest and obviously she's going to have to do a lot on Sunday,” Brooks said. “But I’m so proud of the rest of the group and how they were able to step up, keep their poise amongst a lot of chaos, as I've mentioned before. The first thing I told the whole group is, ‘I'm so proud of you guys because everyone stepped up in a positive way.’ And it was a fun game to watch, a fun game to coach.”
After being up just 18-12 at the end of the first, the Hokies went into the break with a 17-point lead, leading Marshall 42-25.
The Herd only shot 10-37 from the field in the first half and finished the game shooting 19-78, just 24.4% from the floor.
“I think coach had great calls in switching up our defenses,” Amoore said. “You know, we went from a 3-2, to a 2-3, to man. So I think we kept them on their toes and pushed them into positions where they didn't really want to thrive in. I must say, I do think that we didn't really contest some of their shots and they just missed so that's something that we have to definitely work on for the next game. But I think overall, we just did a really good job of keeping them on their toes.”
Tech was still on fire coming out of halftime, opening the third quarter with a 13-2 run. The Hokies outscored Marshall 36-9 in the period.
Matilda Ekh, who finished with 21 points on 6-of-9 shooting, knocked down two back-to-back threes in the third quarter scoring run. She was 5-of-7 from downtown on the afternoon.
Ekh struggled mightily in Tech’s last three games, with zero points in each. However, she showed up big time in her first ever NCAA Tournament game.
“So proud of her, she called me after the ACC Tournament, and she was down and out because she felt like she didn’t help us, and really she didn’t,” Brooks said. “It was affecting other parts of her game.
“She texted me,” he said said, ‘can I come to your office’ and she came to my office and we said nothing of substance. It was just more that we were in each other’s presence and we were talking.
“And I think she understood that I believed in her and she believed in me and what we were gonna do. And ever since then, she’s had a different mentality in practice. [If] he plays like that, we’re a really good basketball team and I was very proud of her and very happy for her. Her first time being in the NCAA Tournament, and so this is what she came here for.”
Tech shot a combined 31.7% in their two ACC Tournament games in Greensboro, but it came back to Cassell for the first round of the NCAA Tournament and shot 53.8% from the field.
Finishing undefeated at Cassell Coliseum in the regular season, the Hokies are undoubtedly at their best in Blacksburg.
“I think it’s incredible,” Summiel said. “Just to be at home; we were really fortunate to earn a four seed and I think that’s a testament to the work that we put in all season long. But to be home, in front of Hokie Nation, it’s just an absolutely incredible feeling. Really proud, and it was fun to see the ball go in and have the energy spark from the home court advantage.”
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