Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – With five scorers in double figures and 22 assists on 32 buckets Tuesday night, the Virginia Tech women's basketball team's offense seems to have settled into a solid rhythm in week three of the young 2019-20 college basketball season. The Hokies are off to their fourth consecutive 4-0 start, behind an offensive averaging 85 points per game and Tech has outscored opponents by 32.5 per contest.
Tech's first four contests have featured three different leading scorers and at least three players have reached double figures in each game, with five doing so in the victories over Saint Francis and Maryland Eastern Shore.
"I thought they did a really good job, they are sharing the basketball," head coach Kenny Brooks said postgame after the win over the Hawks. "We got spoiled the first night, we had 28 assists so you always think that you're supposed to have 28 assists. Twenty-two seems like nothing right now, but 22 assists are really good on 32 field goals. This group they care about each other, they have perfect intent, now we just have to try and execute as closely to that as we can."
MABREY A QUIET CONTRIBUTOR
Dara Mabrey, the school's record holder for most triples in a single season, has quietly averaged 13.8 points per game and is still shooting at a 42% clip from the field. The sophomore, who is settling into a new role, working more off the ball with the addition of point guard Taja Cole to the lineup is the Hokies' leading returning scorer from last season, but is yet to lead the team in that category in a game this season. That bodes well for Tech, who will need the 2019 ACC All-Freshman team guard to continue to contribute and knock down timely shots.
BAPTISTE FINDS HER GROOVE
Junior forward Trinity Baptiste had a pedestrian start to the season, scoring just 14 points through the first three games and shooting 4 of 12 from the field. She got into a groove Tuesday against The Shore, going for 20 points in only 23 minutes of work.
"We told her to really focus in on [the offensive] end and little things like that and everything else will come," Brooks said about Baptiste. "We're starting to figure ourselves out like I mentioned earlier. We just don't know our identity yet and we're playing and we're talented and we can score in a lot of different ways, she just hasn't been the recipient of some of those looks."
The Tampa, Florida native, now in her second season with the Hokies has shown that she can be a difference maker, averaging 10.4 points and 7.6 rebounds last season. She was inserted into the Hokies' starting lineup after two ACC games a season ago and has remained there, as streak of 23 straight games.
"We didn't change anything, we haven't put any focus anywhere, she was just the recipient of some good passes, some good looks in the right place and she took advantage of it" Brooks commented on Baptiste's efficiency against The Shore.
OFFENSE CLICKING AT A HIGH LEVEL
The Hokies rank near the top of the ACC in several statistical categories:
- 85.3 points per game (second)
- 74.7% from the free throw line (first)
- 51.9% from the field (first)
- 37.1% from beyond the arc (third)
- First in assists (18.8 per game)
- Second in assist to turnover ratio (1.4)
Another statistical trend should be intriguing to Hokie fans. There is a clear uptick in assists each season as the Hokies get more comfortable playing Brooks' style of up-tempo basketball. In year one under Brooks, the Hokies assisted on 45% of their field goals, which improved to 47% and jumped up again to 50% a season ago. In the early goings of 2019-20, the Hokies are assisting on nearly 60% percent of their field goals.
It also helps when you can add a graduate transfer point guard who is on the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List like Taja Cole. She ranks first in the conference at 7.5 assists per game.
NEXT TIME ON CARILION CLINIC COURT
Tech will return to Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum on Sunday, November 24 to take on Davidson at 5 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
The Hokies and Wildcats have met once previously, in 2004 with the Hokies winning 87-62. Current Virginia Tech assistant coach Britney Anderson scored six points in the victory.