The Hokies took care of business Saturday in Cassell Coliseum, rolling Coppin State in an 86-51 win.
“It’s always a good day when the entire team is in the scoring column,” Virginia Tech head coach Megan Duffy said. “… Overall, I just thought we were very balanced.”
Indeed. Tech (3-1) got off to a slow start, turning it over five times in the first quarter while allowing the Eagles (2-3) to shoot 50 percent from the field. However, it separated itself towards the end of the period and led 25-15 through the first 10 minutes.
Then the Hokies really turned it on, outscoring Coppin State 61-36 the rest of the way. Their defense came to life as they allowed just two field goals on 11 attempts in the second quarter. They were also impressive on the offensive end — they shot 57% on the day (33-of-58) while the Eagles made a 35% clip (18-of-52) — behind Rose Micheaux’s first double-double at Tech.
The Wayne, Mich., native was hassled with foul trouble in the first three games of the year, which kept her off the floor, though she’d been extremely efficient otherwise and entered Saturday averaging 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Then she proceeded to have one of the best outings of her Tech career.
The former Minnesota forward recorded her first double-double in two seasons — since a Feb. 5, 2023, contest at Illinois where she had 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Gophers — with 17 points and 11 boards. She also accounted for three assists, a block and a steal in the process — all while not committing a personal foul.
“I thought Rose was really good offensively,” Duffy said. “I thought she got to her spots, we did a good job getting her the ball. When we were moving it, just getting [it to] her at the right moment. And she’s got a lot in her bag from her offensive ability, just her different post moves. She’s getting really confident with her jumper now, which is great to see. Just trying to breathe confidence into her to take those.
“I think early on in the year too there are a lot of little cheap fouls … and there are some moments where a player might get a cheap foul and that’s OK. We have to kind of learn how to push through that, and Rose has had a great attitude with it.”
Utah transfer Lani White also looked more like herself against the Eagles. After tallying just 10 points in the first three games and not being able to hit from behind the arc, she matched that vs. CSU in a 10-point, four-rebound performance. The junior from Irvine, Calif., drilled both of her 3-point attempts and looked smooth doing it.
“I thought Lani had some of her best days of practice the last two days, just with her effort and her positivity,” Duffy said. “I think she just has to get comfortable on the court, whether it’s a starting role, whether it’s minutes in the second half, whatever it is, she’s just got to settle down a little bit, and I thought she looked poised and confident, so I was really happy for her.”
Carys Baker and Carleigh Wenzel also finished in double figures for the Hokies with 13 and 12 points, respectively. It was the second double-digit outing of the year for Baker, who had 14 in the opener, and she added a career-high five rebounds too. Meanwhile, Wenzel got the Hokies going at the beginning of the game by scoring eight points before the first media timeout.
All 11 Tech players saw time in the blowout and each contributed in different ways.
Matilda Ekh posted seven points and a season-high five assists on the wing while committing just one turnover, though she only made one of her six shots. Mackenzie Nelson was effective at point guard with three steals — she’s averaging 2.8 through four games — while adding six points and a career-high five assists.
Samyha Suffren checked a number of boxes, knocking down her first career trey and racking up five points, three assists and two boards. Kayl Petersen spent a portion of the game in foul trouble and finished with four personals, though she drilled a triple for her lone basket of the game, which accompanied five rebounds and two blocks.
The three other freshmen played pretty well too. Myah Hazelton and Leila Wells each had a basket — a 2-pointer for Hazelton and a 3-pointer for Wells — while the latter notched two assists. Center Ramiya White also scored her first career points and finished with six on 3-of-3 shooting to go with two boards.
In all, Tech was efficient offensively no matter the five on the floor, and after 10 first-half turnovers, it had just six in the second — a positive considering the personnel varied.
“I really liked how things flowed,” Micheaux said of Tech’s offense. “When we ran plays, or even when we were running plays and the first option wasn’t there, we were still able to get into our second, third and fourth option. It was really good to know that everyone was in the right spot at the right time.”
The Hokies return to Cassell Coliseum on Tuesday and have an interesting challenge in Rutgers (4-0), who they beat 84-59 last season in New Jersey. Destiny Adams, a 6-foot-3 forward who was a Second Team All-Big Ten pick in 2023-24, is averaging 27 points per game for the Scarlet Knights this year.
Box Score: Virginia Tech 86, Coppin State 51
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