VIRGINIA TECH'S SEASON COMES TO A CLOSE WITH WBIT LOSS TO TEXAS TECH

BLACKSBURG – Texas Tech defeated Virginia Tech, 69-57, advancing to the third round of the WBIT and ending the Hokies' 2024-25 season at Cassell Coliseum on Sunday.

The Lady Raiders stunned the Hokies early, as guard Jasmine Shivers and a full-court press sparked an 8-0 run and a 21-point first quarter.

Point guard Carleigh Wenzel put Virginia Tech on the board with a layup after three minutes of play, but the Raiders quickly responded with a layup of their own, setting the tone for the rest of the game.

What hurt the Hokies most, however, was Rose Micheaux picking up two fouls in just two minutes, limiting their ability to rebound.

Texas Tech out-rebounded Virginia Tech, 43-24, including 20 offensive boards, which more than made up for their 21 turnovers compared to the Hokies' 15.

“I feel like sometimes we just pursued the ball and sometimes we didn’t box out,” Micheaux said. “We didn’t execute what we needed to execute.” 

The Hokies struggled to find consistent scoring. Forward Carys Baker led the team with 14 points but shot just 38% from the field and went 1-of-4 from downtown.

Bailey Maupin dominated for the Lady Raiders, finishing with 23 points, including a perfect performance at the free-throw line, despite fouling out.

Wenzel, Virginia Tech's leading scorer, struggled from the field Sunday. Her three free throws were the only points she scored after her initial layup—but she contributed in other ways—recording four assists and grabbing four rebounds.

Coming out of the half, the Hokies sparked an 8-0 run, and it seemed their offense was gaining momentum.

However, Lady Raiders guard Jada Wynn hit a crowd-silencing three, sparking her team's offense to close out the game.

The loss not only ended the Hokies' season but also marked the end of Matilda Ekh and Rose Micheaux's collegiate careers, both of which made a lasting impact on Virginia Tech athletics.

“They made the choice to put two feet in and commit 100% to Virginia Tech,” Virginia Tech head coach Megan Duffy said. “They’re going to have tremendous careers after today. They’ve had their bumps, they’ve had their injuries this year, and they’ve continued to show up and work and be positive influences on those around them.”

Despite the deficit, the Hokies continued to battle, embodying Coach Duffy's philosophy that her team has embraced all season.

“We have a lot of core values that we stick to—passion, another one is being connected, sacrifice and religious growth,” Micheaux said. “We know we needed to just focus and buy into ourselves and to the program. We bought into the program—we knew what we wanted to do to be better and be a great team, and that’s what we did.”

Looking ahead for Virginia Tech, freshman Kayl Petersen played stifling defense with three blocks and added seven points to the scorebook.

Though Hokie guard Leila Wells did not score, she was the only Virginia Tech player who saw significant minutes and finished with a positive plus/minus.

Redshirt freshman Mackie Nelson didn't have her most effective night, finishing with three points, two assists and four rebounds. However, she has established herself as the go-to sixth man, and her role will continue to grow if she maintains the improvement she showed this season.

With freshmen and veterans like Carleigh Wenzel, Carys Baker, Lani White and Samyha Suffren expected to return, Virginia Tech has a solid foundation heading into the offseason.

“Obviously we’re going to miss Rose [Micheaux] and Matilda [Ekh] a lot, but we got some young talent,” Duffy said. “I think people are excited about where we’re going. And we, without questions, want to take the next step and I think we will.”