Virginia Tech women’s basketball’s season came to an end on Sunday in a 69-59 loss to Texas Tech in the second round of the WBIT.
The Hokies (19-13, 9-9 ACC) fell behind early against the Red Raiders (19-17, 4-14 Big 12) and, despite a third-quarter rally, couldn’t sustain their success as the visitors pulled away.
“We got off to a slow start,” Virginia Tech head coach Megan Duffy said. “Didn’t really take care of the couple things we thought we needed to against Texas Tech, and that was controlling the glass and taking care of the ball. Those two statistics were challenging. …
“It’s devastating. You put so much into a year and it seems long, and all of a sudden it ends. I’m very proud of our entire program — our players, our coaching staff, our support staff. To see the growth … has been extremely valuable.”
It was eerily similar to the Hokies’ 76-65 loss to Michigan in the Fort Myers Tip-Off in November. Forwards Rose Micheaux and Kayl Petersen got in early foul trouble as they fell behind in the first quarter — 24-15 then vs. 21-12 on Sunday. Matilda Ekh said it might’ve been their worst first half of the year.
Though they started the second half on fire — five straight points in the WBIT game, similar to the nine straight against the Wolverines — the opposing coach called a timeout and rallied her group while VT eventually ran out of gas.
In that November game, the Hokies trimmed a 15-point deficit to six. Against the Red Raiders, they turned a 36-24 halftime score into a 41-39 contest after Lani White’s layup with 2:59 remaining in the third quarter capped off an 8-0 run.
They couldn’t keep it going it, though. Instead, Texas Tech answered Virginia Tech’s 12-2 run with one of its own, and what was a neck-and-neck game turned into an uphill battle for the Hokies. They only scored once more through the end of the quarter while the Red Raiders posted seven, and they started the fourth with five quick ones before Duffy called timeout. In a flash, it was a 12-point game again — too insurmountable for VT.
“I thought the energy of the building helped us push in that third quarter,” Duffy said. “I thought we executed better. We talked about changing sides of the floor and taking some better shots vs. going one-on-one, and we got a few stops, but then again, didn’t have enough gas right at the end of that third quarter, early fourth.”
Virginia Tech did its best to get back in the game but trailed by as many as 18 points after that and couldn’t draw closer than 10 — the final margin.
Turnovers hurt — the Hokies had 18 of them, 13 of which came in the first half — but the rebounding disparity was killer. The Red Raiders finished plus-19 on the glass, 43-24, which featured 20 offensive rebounds and led to 16 second-chance points.
On top of that, Virginia Tech couldn’t hit anything from behind the arc, where it was 3-of-19. It actually had a better shooting percentage from the floor than Texas Tech — 41 percent to 39 percent — but made four fewer 3-pointers and six fewer free throws.
The Red Raiders pressed for nearly all 40 minutes, which the Hokies didn’t have too much trouble breaking, though they were stagnant in the halfcourt and never quite found a rhythm. Quick foul trouble — Micheaux picked up two in the first 1:15 while Petersen had two in 6:11 — also hurt. It wasn’t until the second half that Micheaux really found a groove, and she did so with three fouls.
“We were concerned about their physicality,” Duffy said. “I think you guys saw that today, and the refs are trying to do a good job of figuring out how to control it for both sides. And then you saw their athleticism. I wouldn’t say they’re super tall, but they’re bouncy and they have a knack when [Bailey Maupin and [Jasmine Shavers] are getting shots, they get great position that led to extra possessions. … I think the foul trouble hurt us a little bit as well, just some different rotations.”
In all, it was a disappointing ending to a successful first season under Duffy that saw the Hokies finish eighth in the league and one win shy of the NCAA Tournament. It was a tough way for the careers of Ekh and Micheaux to end, too. They helped lay Duffy’s foundation this season.
It’s been a bumpy ride for both seniors. They each transferred in before 2023-24 — Micheaux from Minnesota, Ekh from Michigan State — along with Wake Forest’s Olivia Summiel to join the core of Elizabeth Kitley, Georgia Amoore and Cayla King. Then they stuck with the Hokies through the offseason coaching change and helped Duffy — their third coach in four years — implement her principles and core values.
“I think that [journey] has shaped both of us,” said Ekh, who wore a mask on Sunday as she played with a broken nose. “We have literally gone through change every year, almost every year in our college careers, and I mean, that’s not something you want to do going into college, so I think that’s been tough. But I also think that we have learned a lot.
“We have learned to adapt to new situations, new coaches, new places and just appreciate what you have and kind of live in the moment a little bit because you never know what’s going to change.”
The program’s attention will turn to the offseason on Monday ahead of the transfer portal opening on Tuesday. Virginia Tech has to replace Ekh and Micheaux while adding some depth and retaining its current players — the typical situation nowadays for college coaches, though this is Duffy’s first full time around in Blacksburg.
“I think there’s a lot of momentum for this program,” Duffy said. “I think there’s a lot of positives. Obviously, we’re going to miss Rose and Matilda a lot, but we’ve got some young talent. I think people are excited about where we’re going and without question [we] want to take that next step, and I think we will.”
Box Score: Texas Tech 69, Virginia Tech 59
Lots of thoughts on the #Hokies' season-ending 69-59 loss to Texas Tech in the WBIT, the season as a whole and what comes next: pic.twitter.com/bkqcZB7Woi
— David Cunningham (@therealdcunna) March 24, 2025