Lani White had 18 points for the Hokies in their win over Louisville on Sunday. (Ivan Morozov)

Louisville entered Sunday’s game in Cassell Coliseum on a seven-game winning streak, but the Hokies impressed in their 70-65 victory.

On Liz Kitley day, Virginia Tech shot 54 percent and fended off a late run from the Cardinals to bounce back from Thursday’s loss to Virginia and notch its fourth win in the last five contests.

“We moved the ball, shared the ball, I thought we took really good shots out of it,” Hokies head coach Megan Duffy said. “And then I think the start with our defense was pretty good too. We were connected, we made it difficult for them and so I thought we got off to a little bit better start maybe than in the Virginia game, and then the crowd got involved.”

Tech (13-5, 4-3 ACC) was ahead for 38 of the 40 minutes and received a boost down the stretch from the sold-out crowd. It led by as many as 13 points at the end of the third, but Louisville (13-6, 6-2) stormed back by outscoring the home side 20-12 in the final period.

Though the Cardinals weren’t very efficient from the field at 39 percent (26-of-66), particularly in the second quarter (4-of-19), they woke up in the fourth.

A 9-0 run over two-plus minutes that featured contributions from four different Louisville players — Nyla Harris, Jayda Curry, Tajianna Roberts and Olivia Cochran — put fans on the edge of their seats and cut Tech’s lead to 63-62 with 1:48 remaining. Cochran, who finished with 14 points, was especially lethal in the second half, scoring 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting.

Yet, the Hokies clinched the game at the foul line. They reached the stripe four times in the final 90 seconds and knocked down seven of their eight attempts — two each from Carleigh Wenzel, Lani White and Mackenzie Nelson and one from Carys Baker.

“I think when you get down to the end, honestly, it’s less emotion and more about tactical,” Duffy said. “[It’s] what we need to do to get open so we can have the ability to shoot free throws, what Louisville is potentially going to run at the end. And I think that’s what we’ve grown a lot out of, just taking those situations very serious and being together.

“As soon as they leave me, they’re talking about it, reminding each other about what we’re doing, and we’ve been fortunate to win some close games at the end because of their commitment to continuing to finish the end of the game out.”

The Hokies came up big defensively in the final minute in a big-time victory over Louisville. (Ivan Morozov)

Combined with the effort on the defensive end over the final stretch, it was enough to hold on to the win. Tech limited the Cardinals to just one make on their final five shots over the last minute.

Louisville struggled from distance at a 2-of-18 clip and missed a number of good looks. It was also stout on the glass with a 39-25 advantage, which included 17 offensive rebounds. Those led to 23 more field goal attempts. It’s the first time the Hokies managed to win when allowing an ACC opponent to take 20 or more shots than them since Feb. 2, 2006, vs. Virginia.

“It’s not like brain surgery,” Cardinals head coach Jeff Walz said. “We had the same looks and just missed them in the first three quarters.”

Tech wasn’t at its best offensively in the fourth at just 2-of-10, but it was solid for the first 30 minutes. It made 21 of its 33 attempts (64%) over that stretch while holding Louisville to 17-of-47 (36%).

White paced a balanced offensive effort for the Hokies with a game-high 18 points and a team-high six rebounds. It was the fourth straight double-figure outing for the junior who transferred from Utah. She’s 20-of-36 (56%) over that stretch and 8-of-13 (62%) from behind the arc.

“Proud of her,” Tech freshman forward Kayl Petersen said of White. “Even from the summer, just kind of finding her rhythm within the team, kind of being new here — obviously, me and her. But she just kind of has taken the leadership role and has played it really well, and I think that helps her confidence in a big way, whether she realizes it or not. She’s just shooting the ball with confidence and she’s knocking it down.”

Another crucial piece was Petersen off the bench. Though the true freshman entered Sunday with just two points since the calendar flipped to 2025, she tied a season-high 12 points against the Cardinals and drilled five of her six field goals — including two 3-pointers.

Rose Micheaux, who chipped in 10 points and four rebounds, spent a chunk of the game in foul trouble. As a result, Tech needed someone to step up, and Petersen answered the bell. Though there was a loose ball or two that she couldn’t quite corral, the moment didn’t look too big for her. She also posted two boards, one assist and a block.

Hokies freshman Kayl Petersen made some clutch plays against the Cardinals. (Jon Fleming)

“To be honest with you, we have to tell her a lot in practice to shoot the ball, believe it or not,” White said of Petersen. “I’m really proud of Kayl. Big shots like that are momentum movers for herself and us as a team. I’ve seen Kayl come a long way from the summer till now so I’m very proud of her, and for her to perform the way she did in a game like tonight, I’m thrilled to see what she holds in the future.”

Wenzel was only 3-of-10 from the field but was an effective 6-of-7 from the foul line and had a team-high four assists. Matilda Ekh, who left the game in the final minute after knocking knees with Louisville’s Harris but was walking around afterward, scored four of her seven points in the first quarter.

Meanwhile, Baker grabbed five boards. Her lone field goal came midway through the third as she caught the ball on the wing, drove hard to the rack, completed the layup through traffic and was fouled.

Overall, it was a good win for the Hokies against a team that hadn’t lost in over a month. They controlled the majority of the game and fed off the atmosphere in the final minutes.

“Everybody painted this picture of what [Cassell] looks like when it’s sold out and just the roar of the crowd,” Duffy said. “Kind of being that sixth player for you on defense sometimes, and it was awesome. They get on the refs sometimes, they cheer on our team. It’s been an amazing environment. We’ve had some really good crowds up to this point through the season, but this was a little extra special.”

Tech has an opportunity to make it five wins in its last six on Thursday when it travels to Pitt (6 p.m. ET, ACCNX). The Panthers are at the bottom of the league at 9-11 (1-6 ACC). That contest comes before a colossal two-game stretch for the Hokies at No. 21 NC State and vs. No. 3 Notre Dame.

Box Score: Virginia Tech 70, Louisville 65