In its final home game of the season, a second-half surge guided Virginia Tech past Georgia Tech in its 62-51 win on Sunday.
“We were not at our best,” Hokies head coach Megan Duffy said. “We knew coming in with Georgia Tech, the way they’re physical, they’ve got nothing to lose, Karen [Blair] is doing a great job in her first year. It’s not easy, as I went through it last year, and so just for our team, despite having some ugly possessions on both sides, just staying locked in.
“Samyha [Suffren] making all of her free throws, Carleigh [Wenzel] hitting a big three. She had a phenomenal pick-and-roll game to [Aniya Trent]. All those little plays add up and you can pull away, and I’m just proud of the grit they showed this week.”
It was a sluggish game that featured more made free throws (39) than made field goals (34), and neither team shot well.
The Hokies (21-8, 11-6 ACC) were just 28.4 percent overall (19-for-67) while the Yellow Jackets (12-16, 7-9) only made a 28.8 percent clip (15-for-52). Meanwhile, they were a combined 39-for-48 (81.3%) from the stripe.
However, Virginia Tech created separation in the third and fourth quarters. Over 9:53, it went on a 22-2 run, turning what was a 38-33 deficit into a 55-40 lead.
“Just remembering that we just have to come out here and play as hard as we can, even though we didn’t play our best in the first half,” Hokies guard Samyha Suffren said. “Just remembering that the preparation and what Coach Duffy says, that we have to lock in and do the little things.”
It was gradual and was sparked by defense. A Carys Baker layup, off her own missed 3-pointer, was sandwiched between four Suffren free throws that swung the lead in the Hokies’ direction. And after closing the third period with Carleigh Wenzel’s elbow jumper, they finally got some breathing room when Mackenzie Nelson drilled a three.
After a layup from Kayl Petersen, the Yellow Jackets called a timeout to reset things down 48-40 with 7:07 remaining. But Virginia Tech continued to pile on, with two layups from Suffren, plus a transition three from Wenzel.
Throughout those 10 minutes, Georgia Tech turned it over five times and missed 14 straight shots. Its only points were two free throws from Savannah Samuel.
The Hokies only scored seven points the rest of the way after that massive run — all from foul shots — but it was enough to keep the Yellow Jackets at bay.
“Just being able to hone in,” Wenzel said. “I think we started a little bit slow in the first half, both offensively and defensively, so letting the defense fuel us and get us going on offense. I think we talked about keeping them under 50 points, and so we were right there at it, so being able to really lock in in that second half and get to the goal we were looking for.”
It was a huge swing from the first half, where Georgia Tech led for all but 28 seconds and was up 32-31 at the break. It found a groove at the foul line, knocking down 10 of its 12 attempts in the first 20 minutes. Its leading scorer at intermission was Savannah Samuel with nine points, who was 1-for-7 from the field but 7-for-8 from the stripe.
Meanwhile, Virginia Tech couldn’t quite even things up, though it entered the locker room on the heels of a 5-0 run. Then it found a rhythm in the middle of the third quarter.
Both teams dealt with foul trouble — expected when there were 39 personal fouls in 40 minutes of play — and Hokies forward Kilah Freelon had to sit for a long stretch of play after picking up her third just 40 seconds into the third period.
Yet, they found a way to handle the Yellow Jackets without her, courtesy of huge minutes from Petersen and Aniya Trent off the bench. They combined for 11 boards — Trent had a career-high eight — and each chipped in a basket while playing good defense. When Freelon returned at the start of the fourth, her team was ahead by three.
“Just her physical presence,” Duffy said of Trent. “She got a couple fouls too, but she held her ground. I thought Kayl made a couple big plays for us, drew a foul on them, just kind of banging bodies with somebody, and grabbed a couple herself. And those things matter. It gets these guys easier buckets. …
“I thought [Trent] got a little frustrated in the beginning, but then even her poise, Kilah Freelon was in her ear, along with her assistant coaches, to keep her positive and keep her locked into what she needed to do.”
It was balanced scoring from there between Nelson, Suffren, Wenzel and Petersen. Despite a poor shooting day, three VT players finished in double figures.
Suffren paced the Hokies with 16 points, five rebounds and two assists and was 8-for-8 from the stripe. Wenzel, who eclipsed 1,000 career points, had six rebounds and two assists to accompany her 15 points. Carys Baker also added 10 points, eight boards, four blocks and two steals. On top of that, Nelson led the team in assists (six) and steals (four), plus scored seven points.
On senior night, Freelon had a quieter offensive game, with just four points to go with seven rebounds, three blocks and a steal. Along with three student managers, Virginia Tech also honored Mel Daley before the game. She recorded six points and two steals. Those two transferred to the Hokies in the offseason from Texas Tech and Northwestern, respectively.
“I think it’s really hard to just come into a team and build chemistry right away in one year,” Wenzel said, “and I think they fit what we do perfectly. I think they work really hard on the court, but they’re great people off the court. What they do, what they want to do with life, it’s just not normal stuff, so being able to have people that you just get along with, that are good people, that want to work hard and want to pour into a program and give all they have for a year is rare.
“Credit to [Duffy] for getting people like that here.”
Talayah Walker (17 points) and Samuel (13) were the lone double-digit scorers for Georgia Tech, though Brianna Turnage corralled 15 boards and swatted four shots. The Yellow Jackets finished with 12 blocks.
The Hokies capped off the regular season with a 14-4 record at home and have a week off before heading to Charlottesville for Part II of the Commonwealth Clash. They beat Virginia 76-64 on Feb. 1 in Cassell Coliseum, but the Cavaliers have won four of their five since, including a 74-72 victory at No. 8 Louisville on Sunday.
Box Score: Virginia Tech 62, Georgia Tech 51