Hokies Tame The Tigers 74-62, 5-2 in the ACC (1-22-24)

By: Joey Raymond

All Photo Credit: Katie Lovell-LMS Network

Blacksburg, VA –The Virginia Tech Hokies welcome the Clemson Tigers into Cassell Coliseum for a Sunday matinee women’s basketball matchup. The Hokies have lost two straight and are looking to not lose three straight. If Clemson pulls out a win, that’ll be the first time the Hokies have lost three straight since January of 2021. Clemson isn’t going to make getting a win easy. Amari Robinson and Ruby Whitehorn have been red hot for the Tigers. They lead one of the highest-scoring teams in the country, sitting eighth among all teams in the country in scoring. Both of these teams are proven scoring offenses that can fly up and down the court. The team whose defense can stop the other high-powered offense will more than likely pull out the win in this matchup.

First Quarter Recap:

​The Hokies are starting tonight without the high-impact Georgia Amoore. That doesn’t stop Virginia Tech from coming out hot though. The Hokies fire off for 7 points before Clemson finds the basket. Clemson would fight their way back into the game though getting within 2 as we got to the last 5 minutes of the period. Cayla King and Liz Kitley would be the stars of the first quarter for the Hokies, both snagging 5 points. On the Clemson side, Dayshanette Harris would gather 6 points, leading the scoring for the Tigers. The quarter would end with the Hokies leading 16-12.

Second Quarter Recap:

​Clemson would show some frustration early in the quarter as Dayshanette Harris would get called for a technical foul after driving to the basket. Virginia Tech would make both of the free throws in response. Both teams would struggle to shoot the basket for most of the second quarter. Clemson would outshoot the Hokies for the majority of the period, even taking a lead with 5 minutes left in the period. At that point, the Tigers would lead 22-18. The Hokies would come roaring back not long after though, firing off two threes to give themselves a 24-22 lead. Clemson would respond with an offensive onslaught. Firing shot after shot and eventually stretching their lead to 29-24. Largely off the back of Liz Kitley and Matilda Eck the Hokies wouldn’t allow the onslaught to continue. The Hokies would claw their way back and past the Tigers to take a 31-29 lead as time expired in the second quarter.

Third Quarter Recap:

​ Coming out of halftime, both teams would get fouled on their first possessions. After that, The Hokies would find a rhythm. Virginia Tech would find Eck, Kitley, and King for scoring chances, allowing them to stretch the lead to 39-33. Clemson would receive a majority of their points in this period off of the free throw stripe. As the period would work its way down to four minutes and thirty seconds left, the Tigers would only have one field goal made. With four minutes left, the Hokies would hold onto a three-point lead, with a score of 43-40. The Hokies would end the quarter stretching their lead to 53-45. They’d outscore the Tigers 22-16 in the third quarter.

Fourth Quarter Recap:

​The crowd in Cassell Coliseum would start to come alive here in the final quarter. Liz Kitley would come out firing in the fourth, snagging her 21st and 23rd points within the first minute of the quarter. The Tigers would do all they can to try to cool off Liz Kitley but she would continue to score. Kitley would stretch the Hokies lead to 61-50 with the hot hand. With five minutes left in the period Cayla King would go down hard on a Clemson offensive possession. No foul would be called, much to the disdain of Hokie fans. King would leave the game with an apparent leg injury. We’d play on after a media timeout, and the Hokies would need to respond without Cayla King. The fans in Cassell would make their presence felt, practically willing their Hokies to score, despite Clemson attempting to make a comeback. The Hokies would lead 70-57 with a minute left to play. The last minute of the game would be a lot of back and forth with Clemson fouling the Hokies several times and calling timeouts to crawl back into the game. Ultimately, the lead the Hokies built up would be too much to overcome, as they would win the game with a final of 74-62.

What’s Next?

​The Hokies will get a chance to get a much-needed rest at home and get to stay home when they host the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Thursday, January 25th. Clemson will head back home and host the currently 4th-ranked NC State WolfPack. That game is also on the 25th. Virginia Tech moves to a 5-2 record in the ACC, with Clemson falling to 1-6 in the conference. It’ll be interesting to see how the Hokies continue as it is likely that they’ll have to go again without Georgia Amoore, and possibly Cayla King. However, King did find her way back out to the court before the game ended today. We’ll see how things play out on Thursday.