SEATTLE — No. 1 seed Virginia Tech didn’t flinch. Not from the opening tip, not after halftime, not even when No. 4 seed Tennessee cut into an 18-point margin and made it a one-point game.
On Saturday afternoon in Climate Pledge Arena, the Hokies continued a familiar trend of theirs: jumping out to an early lead, putting the foot on the gas pedal late and standing tall defensively in between. This time, the stage was the Sweet 16 against one of college basketball’s premier programs. And they were up for the challenge again, handling the Lady Vols by nine, 73-64.
Those who followed Tech (30-4) this season shouldn’t be surprised the team handled business for the 14th straight game. But the group rolled its eyes when national media counted it out, turning it into motivation. Not that the Hokies needed more — being in the Sweet 16 for the second time in school history was enough incentive.
But there’s a reason why they’re the only remaining team in the Elite Eight that hasn’t trailed in this year’s NCAA tournament — they’re legit.
“We’re clicking,” Tech head coach Kenny Brooks told Tech Sideline after the win. “It kind of started with the way we ended the season and the way we went into the ACC tournament, and then we really have just never lost that momentum. We’re playing extremely well, playing well together.
“The kids are connected, they understand the assignment on both ends of the floor and that’s the result of what we’re doing and how we’re doing it.”
The Hokies opened Saturday’s contest with a 9-0 run. It took Tennessee (25-12) almost three minutes to get on the scoreboard. Good defense set the tone early — the Lady Vols missed their first five shots, including eight of their first 10, and never had a chance to settle into the game.
“The past three games, we’ve come out with good intensity, offense and defense, and we really stamped on them early,” Tech guard Georgia Amoore said.
The Aussie had a career night, scoring 29 points (a career-high), dishing out five assists and grabbing six rebounds. She did it on 21 attempts, making nine, and hit four of her 14 3-pointers and seven of her eight free throws. What her presence did, however — as it has all year — was open up everything else.
Kayana Traylor scored 14 points. Elizabeth Kitley had 12 (and eight rebounds), D’asia Gregg chipped in five (and five boards) and Taylor Soule added four (and seven rebounds). On top of that, Cayla King scored nine, which included a trey with 40 seconds remaining that was the dagger.
Still, Tennessee made life uncomfortable for Tech. It used a full-court press in certain situations, but it really started to wreak havoc down the stretch. The Lady Vols closed the third period on a 7-0 run, pulling within nine, 49-40, entering the fourth quarter. And the press went to work.
The Hokies gave the ball away on three consecutive possessions, practically handing Tennessee an 8-0 spurt. Over 3:55, Kellie Harper’s squad outscored Tech 14-2. And just like that, the lead was trimmed to one.
“They went on a little run, sped us up a little bit,” King said. “That’s their style of play and what they wanted, but we just had to get back to our style … and calm down a little bit.”
Despite that, though, the team never lost complete control. It knew that once it made it past the first wave, it would find success in the halfcourt. As Amoore described it: “It was just knowing that once we break past that press, it was peaches and cream because that’s where we thrive.”
The Hokies were patient and stayed true to what got them to the Sweet 16 in the first place. They focused on themselves, ran their sets and buckled down on defense.
After Jasmine Powell’s three made it a one-point game, Traylor responded with an important layup, which gave Tech some breathing room. In a physical game, one where the Lady Vols used 10 players to VT’s six (and some Hokies cramped up), Brooks & Co. became the aggressor once again, scoring eight unanswered points.
“They just knocked down some big shots, made some more plays than we made,” Tennessee guard Jordan Horston said of Tech.
From there, the Hokies leaned on their defense. It’s an aspect of their game that is underrated by some, even though they’ve held 13 of their 14 opponents throughout the win streak below 40% shooting. The Lady Vols hit that mark — 40.3% — while turning the ball over 18 times and chucked up 17 treys, only making three.
It was a game Virginia Tech was comfortable with, as Harper said afterwards. The result: a victory, and the school’s first-ever Elite Eight appearance. No. 3 seed Ohio State is the opponent on Monday evening at 6 p.m. PT (9 p.m. ET) on ESPN.
The Hokies celebrated accordingly — Amoore hugged the HokieBird afterwards, a moment that made her feel like a little kid, while the team danced with Brooks in the locker room — but they know the job isn’t finished.
“It means a lot because it’s not easy,” Brooks said. “Not everybody is able to get here. For us to be able to do it, I’m very proud, very happy, not only for our kids but for Hokie Nation to have something to be excited about. It’s part of my responsibility to do a lot of good things for Virginia Tech and we’re able to do that.”
Box Score: No. 1 Virginia Tech 73, No. 4 Tennessee 64