Baylor guard Jada Walker was untouchable for six seconds that felt like an eternity Sunday night in Blacksburg. She dribbled around like something out of a Harlem Globetrotters game, and Virginia Tech struggled to wrangle her.
The Bears led by one with 12.4 seconds remaining and Tech was trying to foul and stop the clock. But that quick play, and the one prior — Walker ran off about four seconds since Tech had a foul to give — encapsulated a 40-minute game. The Hokies were a step behind in their 75-72 loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Baylor.
They led for just 17 seconds, a stretch that came at the end of the third quarter. Though they were never quite in control, they were never out of the game. They fought, scratched and clawed in front of a sold-out Cassell Coliseum crowd that was on the verge of exploding but just didn’t have enough.
“Congratulations to Baylor. Played a little bit better than we did tonight,” Tech head coach Kenny Brooks said afterwards. “That’s what this thing is all about to survive and advance.”
Without All-American and three-time ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley, who suffered a season-ending injury on March 3 and cheered her team on from the sideline through the postseason, Tech fought extremely hard. It never fell behind by more than eight, and even when things looked bleak late — it trailed by four with 19 seconds left but a Georgia Amoore 3-pointer made it a one-point game — it never gave up.
However, the Bears (26-7) were just better Sunday. The Hokies (25-8) were ready for the stage but came up just short. All they could do after their first home loss in 15 months was stand and watch Baylor celebrate, thinking about what could’ve been.
Baylor jumped in front just 22 seconds in and never took its foot off the gas. Paced by veterans Walker and Sarah Andrews, who combined for 44 of its 75 points (59%), it set the tone in terms of intensity. It didn’t let Tech get into its sets early, forcing three first-quarter turnovers from Amoore. Offensively, it got downhill frequently, often blowing by a Tech defender on the way to the rack, but couldn’t pull away. At the break, the Bears led 32-28.
The Hokies stayed connected and grew into the game defensively. The offense picked things up in the second half despite a slow start, too. After a 2-of-16 mark from behind the arc in the first half, they were 7-of-12 in the second. Matilda Ekh led the charge. After missing her first four 3-pointers, she was perfect on the same number of attempts after intermission. Amoore heated up, too, making two of her five while Carleigh Wenzel drained one.
But little things came back to bite Virginia Tech. It turned the ball over 14 times — four each in the first, second and fourth quarters; just twice in the third — which often came in key moments, like Olivia Summiel’s errant pass with 1:06 remaining. Even on Tech’s final possession with 1.3 seconds on the clock, Baylor guarded the action well and deflected the inbounds pass, which threw off the final opportunity.
The Bears made more crucial plays when it mattered. Walker drained a 3-pointer just after crossing halfcourt as the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter, which sucked the life out of the building despite Wenzel nailing a trey from the corner just seven seconds before. Instead of things being knotted up at 52, Baylor led by three. And that came 31 seconds after Amoore missed a wide-open layup that would’ve given Tech the lead back.
Defensively, the Hokies couldn’t stay out of foul trouble. Cayla King fouled out while chasing and attempting to corral Walker, meaning she was unavailable for the final possession — Wenzel inbounded instead — while Clara Strack, Rose Micheaux and Summiel spent chunks of the game with multiple personals. The Bears made just 16 of their 25 free throws, which kept the door open for the home team.
Tech also allowed seven offensive boards, which led to 12 points off from Baylor. Though it won the battle on the glass 36-35, it gave up three offensive rebounds in the final 12 minutes that led to baskets.
“I thought we played hard, but I think we just had some mental lapses and had some crucial turnovers or missed opportunities late down the stretch,” Amoore said.
Ekh (19 points), Amoore (18) and Strack — who had her first career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds — were the key contributors. King also chipped in seven points while Wenzel added six. Micheaux and Summiel each made one basket. Carys Baker, despite not scoring, was pivotal defensively and on the boards with three rebounds, two steals and a block.
It wasn’t enough to overcome a sharp Baylor team that made fewer mistakes, however, even despite Amoore’s last-ditch heroics.
“We didn't lose because of lack of effort tonight,” Brooks said. “We didn't always play great. We had some spells and some things happen that didn't go our way, but very proud of them and their effort.”
The result was the final game in the collegiate careers of Kitley, King and Summiel. Amoore has an opportunity to return for a fifth season, though she’s a projected first-round pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft. She has quite the decision to make, one that will likely be directly connected to Brooks’ opportunity to leave for a head-coaching job at Kentucky. Multiple outlets reported he’s the Wildcats’ top target.
If Amoore opts to continue her career elsewhere, it’ll mark the end of the greatest era in Virginia Tech women’s basketball history. Since Kitley and King stepped on campus in the fall of 2019, the program is 115-42 (.732). At home, it’s 66-11 (.857), a mark that’s an incredible 44-4 (.917) at home in the last three years.
Those two, along with Amoore, were crucial in helping Brooks turn Tech into a winner. The growth didn’t happen overnight — especially the fan support — but it was a tremendous journey that featured two ACC titles and a Final Four.
No one pictured it ending on Carilion Clinic Court with tears in the eyes of many, not after being in the sport’s spotlight with ESPN’s College GameDay a month prior. “It wasn’t supposed to end like this,” Brooks said. Yet, that’s the beauty of sports.
What should be remembered, though, is the impact that Amoore, King and Kitley had on so many lives. They went from practically begging folks to sit in the stands to struggling to hear over a roaring crowd that couldn’t be contained. Waiting around for autographs for hours after games became the standard, not a rarity. They turned a program that was a cellar dweller into an ACC staple, from an almost-forgetful brand in women’s basketball into a well-known one.
All of which they did with the utmost class, humility and grace, leaving an everlasting legacy and inspiring so many folks along the way.
“You can be a great player,” an emotional Brooks said, “but if you don’t have the mentality, the work ethic, and the ability to lead people — when I say lead, I mean, they lead our program, but they also help lead this community. The affect that they’ve had on this community not only young people, old people, they’ve made a lot of people women's basketball fans here at Virginia Tech.
“Sometimes when you get players of that caliber, sometimes you have to sacrifice a little bit. You have to sacrifice maybe integrity, but those kids are the full package. They’re great kids, and what they've done for this program, this community, for me, you can’t even put it into words. That’s how special they are.”
Box Score: Baylor 75, Virginia Tech 72