Virginia Tech Hokies Girls’s Basketball Defeats Cal for a West Coast Sweep: 68-58

[ad_1] The NCAA Match Invitation Sport is a crucial consider faculty basketball, and the Woman Hokies wanted two Quad 1 Wins on their West coast journey. It’s a troublesome last three video games and two highway wins would put the Hokies at 20 video games and many picture factors. They obtained them. How, is a ray of hope.

A Work in Progress Will get Progress That is simply the 2nd 12 months of the Megan Duffy period of Hokie ladies’s basketball. We’ve visited the chaotic transition interval that just about left her with an entire rebuild, and the way she managed to win over crucial gamers, convincing them to remain and purchase in. We’ve seen her construct a very strong teaching workers, and this 12 months add a enterprise mind to this system in hiring Stephen Fishler to maintain issues that coaches actually not have the time to do.

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What we haven’t actually gotten to, but are the rewards in each fan confidence and public relations buzz meaning a program has turned the nook on perceptions. As soon as Kenny Brooks snuck out of city for larger program cash that additionally evaporated an enormous notion of potential dominance from the media and sports activities analysts. That’s a pure given the success that Brooks had constructed with a number of key gamers (Sheppard, Amoore, and particularly Kitley) and a “Closing 4” look. The mission for Coach Duffy and workers was to get to the underside fringe of that picture bubble at a sooner tempo than was doable in “the previous days” earlier than the portal and NIL.

Final season was a shock for quite a lot of analysts and educated followers. A strong successful season, if a bit bumpy, right here and there, gave Hokie Nation a little bit of a ray of hope for the close to future. The group obtained to play in a brand new higher organized NCAA sanctioned ladies’s invitational and host some video games at Cassell. That style of put up season was good for everybody concerned and saved the momentum going for the Woman Hokies. It was proof of actual progress, and at a sooner tempo.

What’s all that should do with the journey to the West coast of the Atlantic? Each College of California at Berkley (Cal) and Stanford College have been admitted into the ACC a couple of years in the past and introduced extra than simply logistical and journey challenges for sports activities groups historically centered across the Appalachian Mountains and Japanese coastal plain. These applications have cash, status, and may area some gifted basketball gamers. Neither program is main the ACC, however they're within the peer group peloton of the convention and if a group performs them, the wins should occur to be related within the put up season.

Profitable Tight Video games Groups that discover ways to win tight video games are the groups that find yourself on the high of the pile on the finish of the season. Sure, there are the dominant runaway groups that hardly register a shrug when somebody will get shut sufficient to problem them, South Carolina involves thoughts and perhaps UConn however wins and losses typically come from video games the place neither group appears to handle to dominate the court docket till the rating is tallied up on the last horn. Once more, it’s that crucial third quarter (or 10 minutes simply after the half for the boys) that always determines the positioning and momentum for the ultimate ten minutes of any recreation.

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That’s what makes the 2 California video games so related and open the door to some actual event desires for the Hokies. They managed two “grinders” the place neither group might get a lot momentum going and even with a run or two the opposite group managed to catch up.

It was All About Staying Shut and Forward That’s within the headline. The Hokies and Golden Bears fought out a low scoring backwards and forwards first quarter with Cal forward by one level on the horn. There have been actually no standout performances on offense for both group within the first. Neither group might handle to get a lot past the opposite’s protection. Cal wasn’t scoring from exterior, and the lid was on the basket for each groups inside. The interval ended with a rating that was indicative of the following two quarters. It was a one-point wrestle session of even exchanges, brief runs, and abreviated comebacks.

The place we started to see some glimmers of Tech getting someplace was a 10-0 run within the second as Samyha Suffren got here off the bench and sparked a rally for the Hokies that allow them cross the Golden Bears. That four-point 33-29 Virginia Tech lead was challenged a couple of instances within the third, however the Hokies saved rallying up.

That halftime rating appeared to breathe only a little bit of life into an offensive scenario that basically hadn’t moved all that a lot on either side of the court docket for each groups. The crucial third quarter would decide this one, once more. The Hokies had to determine easy methods to maintain off Cal, however additionally they needed to begin discovering the bucket and pushing the rating out to extra comfy ranges.

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Surviving the third, on high by any rating differential would find yourself a crucial momentum issue going into the 4th interval. The quarter buzzer went off and the Hokies in some way had discovered their toes sufficient to remain forward of Cal, and that appeared to have imparted simply sufficient momentum to hold the group into the 4th with the thought implanted of their minds that they'd an excellent probability of pulling this one off if they might simply begin hitting open buckets.

The Third quarter ended with the Hokies and the Golden Bears locked in a one-point trade with Tech on the plus facet. One thing wanted to interrupt that to their benefit by getting past the one bucket flip-flop. It was Carleigh Wenzel who broke the within trade along with her large three pointer to open the Hokie 4th quarter scoring.

That cost from Carleigh’s three ignited some wholesome scoring trade wins for Tech. The Woman Hokies went on one other scoring tear between the 9:30 and 5:00 marks that pushed them firmly in management at 12 factors. This two-point bucket off of an offensive rebound is a primary instance of the group play being placed on by Tech. Powerful protection and relentless strain on the offensive boards received this one because the Hokies pulled away within the 4th.

That play ended up being Evan Hughes’s name of the sport and Mel Daley’s crucial ORB and putback for two factors within the paint set the tone for the remaining half of the ultimate interval. Cal would bump backwards and forwards however get no nearer than a +/- 4 factors for the rest of the sport.

It wasn’t a cruise for the Hokies, however they did handle to maintain up the offensive strain and keep a scoring tempo with the Golden Bears. It was a experience the plus facet of the trade recreation from the five-minute mark till the ultimate horn sounded. The Woman Hokies had some sundaes on Sunday in California.

Related Stats This wasn’t a biscuit kind of day. The play was robust and inside. Tech solely tried 5 three-pointers and solely made one. Protection was stiff on either side of the ball, Cal tried 16 from deep and solely made 3 of them – Tech’s screening was superior on this one. The whistles put each groups at risk of dropping crucial gamers to foul bother and foul outs.

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Within the Hokies case, Mackie Nelson ended up fouling out by the 4th, however her time on the court docket was severely restricted by foul bother all through your entire recreation. Generally the refs appear to zone in on one explicit participant or one other, and sadly for Mackie the officers appeared to lock in on her for the Hokies. Cal misplaced two gamers to foul outs, and each have been starters so the evenness of the calls actually couldn’t be questioned. This was an inside, wrestle with emphasis on wrestle. The group to interrupt that push-pull was going to be the one which inched away and received.

That’s the place Tech has a kind of secret weapon off the bench. Samyha Suffren missed virtually all of final season with an arm/shoulder harm that required affected person rehab and a irritating journey on the bench as a fan. This season she’s wholesome and develop into one among Coach Duffy’s main spark plugs to sub in from the bench and switch it up a notch, add vitality, and pace to the court docket configuration. The Cal recreation was Samyha’s time to shine.

Samyha Suffren Samyha ended up taking part in almost half-hour of a 40-minute recreation, off the bench. A part of that was crucial due to the foul bother for Mackie, early, however an enormous a part of it was as a result of Suffren was doing “Samyha Issues” and put a severe supercharge within the Tech offense when it wanted to remain shut. Suffren’s crucial factors saved the Hokies going, and her 8-point contribution to Tech’s crucial 10-0 run put the Woman Hokies right into a optimistic benefit within the trade that they didn't lose for the rest of the sport. Suffren was a smoking sizzling 7-12 from the ground, she was 5-7 from the free-throw line, and what’s extra, added 3 rebounds and a steal. She did bump up towards 4 fouls, however that gave the impression to be par for the course on this recreation. Gamers wanted to be courageous and aggressive, and the coaches wanted to permit them to play out their court docket time. Samyha’s 19-point effort was a season excessive for her, and a group excessive for the sport.

Carleigh Wenzel Discuss being chilly from the ground however completely on hearth from the charity stripe. Wenzel’s bucket lid has been a irritating drawback for her this season, however on this one the lid wasn’t on from the road. Wenzel was an ideal 10-10 from a whopping complete of seven drawn fouls. For those who didn’t discover the purpose differential between the groups, park that delta on the toes of a number of gamers, however Wenzel ought to lead that group. That’s some kind of report, someplace. Not solely was she blazing from the free throw line, however she did additionally hit one among every from the sector for a further 5 factors. Carleigh manages to maintain that double digit scoring quantity excessive. Along with her crucial 15 factors, Carleigh pushed out an help and blocked a shot.

Kilah Freelon One other double-double goes into the books for Kilah. She was 4-9 from the ground and an ideal 4-4 from the free-throw line for 12 complete factors. Add to that she had 10 rebounds with 3 being crucial ORBs to get put again alternatives. She additionally pushed out 4 assists and filched the ball 4 instances for a significant defensive contribution.

Carys Baker If you discuss Carys, you speak about Tech’s “Regular Eddie”. It took her a whole recreation, she performed almost all of it, to get to 10 factors on 2 necessary free throws. However scoring didn’t appear to be Baker’s function on this one. She took a grand complete of 8 pictures in your entire contest. She made 4 for a good 50%. It’s necessary to notice that Baker solely took one three-point try making her a practical 4-6 from inside. Baker additionally had 5 defensive rebounds and a steal. Coach Duffy appears to have used Carys for some muscle inside, and to maintain the Cal 3-point offense from doing a lot injury. It was a strong efficiency for the tall half of the Connecticut Nook.

Mel Daley and Mackie Nelson Mel wanted to be on this one and got here off the bench to contribute a strong 25 minutes. She put in 8 factors on 3 from the ground and 2-2 from the charity stripe. She additionally registered 4 rebounds, and a steal on protection. Mackie, as famous above, appeared to draw an excessive amount of referee consideration. She did rating 3 factors with 3 complete rebounds. She did push out 4 assists, which for her restricted time on the court docket was a group excessive, and managed 3 steals on protection.

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Leila Wells contributed some extent, an help, and a rebound however gave the impression to be devoted to protection. Kayl Petersen and Aniya Trent obtained a while on the ground to provide the starters some crucial relaxation.

The truth of the statistics confirmed that this one was one other group win the place it was crucial for the gamers to step up and 4 in double figures was completely crucial as a result of each single level counted. The Woman Hokies earned their journey to the ice cream parlor on this one.

Subsequent Up, the Girls Come Residence for Two And it’s two actually robust contests in Cassell Coliseum to wrap up the 2025-2026 residence season. Tech hosts North Carolina in a super-sized grudge match on Thursday the nineteenth at 6:00PM, after which the opposite ACC Tech (GT) involves city for the Sunday tip at 2:00PM. The season will finish after every week relaxation break when the Hokies drive up I-81 and head throughout Afton Mountain to John Paul Jones Area for a Commonwealth Conflict with archrival UVA on Sunday March 1st at midday.