Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech women's basketball team earned its sixth straight victory, a 67-50 effort over Pitt on Thursday night inside Cassell Coliseum.
The Hokies, who improve to 17-5 overall and 7-3 in the ACC, matched their most ACC wins in the month of January for the third time in four seasons with six.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia Tech got the action started with a long two-pointer from Carleigh Wenzel (9:27) and an under the basket look from Kilah Freelon (8:51) off the fast break before Pitt rallied for seven unanswered points to take the lead. The Panthers, whose last basket of the run was a three-pointer, were answered by a triple from Wenzel at the 5:50 mark. The Hokies pulled away on a 9-2 run to end the quarter and claim a 16-11 lead.
After going basket for basket to kick off the second quarter, Kayl Petersen assisted on two consecutive Tech baskets, grabbing the offensive rebound for Mel Daley’s (8:53) drop-in and then getting the ball down low to Freelon (7:46). Pitt called timeout in the midst of the Hokies’ six-point run but ended up seeing Carys Baker drain a three-pointer with 6:50 to go to stretch the lead to double digits, 27-13. The Panthers were able to cut their deficit down to six twice, the last time jump shot outside the paint at 1:52. Baker converted at the line in the closing seconds as the Hokies took a 33-25 advantage into halftime.
Tech faced an aggressive Pitt squad out of the break, trading baskets with the Panthers until Wenzel’s (5:58) pair of makes from the line and Freelon’s (5:19) baseline jumper were the first consecutive scores by either side. The visitors closed the margin to four, 44-40, at 1:44 before Baker converted a shot at the stripe and grabbed the ricochet off the offensive glass for a second chance tip-in to keep the Hokies in front, 47-40.
Baker continued to carry Virginia Tech’s offense in the fourth frame, hitting two shots from the line just 36 seconds in. Freelon’s second chance basket in the paint brought the Hokies’ lead back to double digits, 51-40 at 8:31, causing Pitt to call a timeout. The Panthers hit two timely three-pointers to make it a six-point game, the last with 5:44 left, to close to 55-49. Inspired out of the final media break, Tech outscored Pitt 12-1 to pull away for the 67-50 win.
GAME NOTES
- Virginia Tech won their sixth straight game, their longest winning streak of the season
- The Hokies, who fell behind in boards at the half, finished with a 42-36 rebounding advantage
- Tech grabbed 18 offensive rebounds, matching their highest total of the season
- Virginia Tech has held 14 opponents to under 60 points this season, six of those occurring in ACC play
- The Hokies won all five specialty stat categories, including holding hefty margins in points off turnovers (21-7) and second chances (20-7)
- Guard Carleigh Wenzel led the Hokies with 17 points for her sixth consecutive double figure performance
- Forward Carys Baker recorded a near double-double of 13 points and nine rebounds
- It was Baker’s seventh straight game scoring in double figures, her longest streak of the year
- Kilah Freelon tallied her third double-double of the season with 10 points and her new ACC-high 11 rebounds
- Mackenzie Nelson led all players with her five assists and three steals to go with seven points
- Virginia Tech improves to 12-2 when Nelson dishes five or more assists in a game
- Nine of the 10 Hokies who saw action in the contest scored
UP NEXT
Virginia Tech remains at Cassell Coliseum on Sunday, Feb. 1, to celebrate the program’s 50th anniversary in the Commonwealth Clash against Virginia. That game will tip at 2 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.