Virginia Tech flew around on the defensive end in Tuesday’s 92-41 exhibition victory over Division II Limestone, the first real taste of the Megan Duffy era in Blacksburg.
The Hokies limited the Saints to 20 percent shooting and forced 33 turnovers in the rout, 19 of which came in the first half. Redshirt freshman Mackenzie Nelson and sophomore Carys Baker led Tech with three steals apiece.
Tech turned good defense into offense all night, scoring 41 points off turnovers and 19 points in transition. Duffy’s teams have historically thrived on the break, and the Hokies excelled in that area against Limestone.
Redshirt sophomore Carleigh Wenzel got things started on that front when she found sophomore Samyha Suffren down the floor for an easy layup with 2:11 left in the first quarter. That opened the floodgates, and Tech’s next three baskets were on the break — courtesy of Wenzel and freshmen Kayl Petersen and Leila Wells.
Matilda Ekh led the way offensively for the Hokies with a game-high 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting. She drained four of her eight 3-point attempts, three of which came in the first quarter, including the contest’s first basket. She paced the team in the opening period when they were 11-of-17 from the floor and limited the Saints to just 2-of-11.
Tech was a bit sloppy early — it give the ball away six times in the first quarter — but settled down in the next two periods with just four total miscues. It finished with 15 for the game after five fourth-quarter mistakes. Five players had multiple, led by Suffren’s three.
However, the Hokies a ton of the high-percentage looks they wanted and converted them. The transition game was a giant boost, but they scored 58 total points in the paint. A good chunk came from Petersen, who was second in scoring with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
The Waupun, Wis., native was the No. 68 overall recruit in ESPN’s rankings for the 2024 class and was one of the most impressive players in the exhibition. Petersen, who played both the four and five spots, blocked two shots and grabbed four rebounds while knocking down a 3-pointer from the wing.
Baker, who spent much of the game at the four, was third on the team in scoring with 13 points. She finished 5-of-7 from the floor, hitting two of her three treys, and had a team-high three steals to accompany three boards and two assists.
Nelson also showed some great flashes. After redshirting last season, the Greenwich, Conn., native had a sharp 10-point, four-rebound, three-assist, three-steal performance. She made five of her eight field goals and had a few nice give-and-go plays with Tech’s forwards that led her right to the rim for open layups. Most importantly, she was calm and collected in transition.
Wells, another rookie, finished with 10 points (4-of-7) and three assists. The track and field star from Chelsea, Mich., showed her athleticism at the end of the first quarter when she pickpocketed a Limestone defender and sprinted down the floor to the rack.
Duffy used all 11 scholarship players in the scrimmage, 10 of which saw first-half action. Senior Rose Micheaux nearly had a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds while Utah transfer Lani White recorded six points, four assists and three boards. Wenzel chipped in four points, four dimes, four boards and a steal, too. That trio, along with Baker and Ekh, rounded out the first five.
Suffren was solid in her 28 minutes of action as well, totaling nine points, a team-high seven assists and four rebounds. Like Nelson, she looked at home in Duffy’s up-tempo system.
Freshmen Myah Hazelton and Ramiya White also saw time. The former had a basket on her very first possession and added six rebounds — the second-most for the Hokies — and block while the latter swatted two shots and hauled in two boards. Each had a steal, too.
Virginia Tech opens its 2024-25 campaign in 13 days on Monday, Nov. 4, at 5 p.m. ET in Cassell Coliseum vs. UNC Wilmington, the first regular-season opportunity for Duffy & Co. to work out some of their kinks. For example, the Hokies used 25 different lineup combinations on Tuesday; how will the rotation shake out against the Seahawks?
They also struggled on the glass against Limestone, losing the rebounding battle 45-40, and made just eight of their 19 free throws, two key areas where they need to improve.
Box Score: Virginia Tech 92, Limestone 41