BLACKSBURG – Following a solid 67-54 victory over Purdue in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge Thursday night, the Virginia Tech women's basketball team sits at 7-1 on the season heading into the final three non-conference opportunities before tipping off ACC play at the end of the month at nationally ranked Florida State.
The Hokies who rank amongst the league leaders in several categories have scored the ball well, averaging 78.5 points per game thanks in part to a great field goal percentage (.475) and their ability to knock down the long ball. Tech is hitting more than seven 3's per game, and those have come from a variety of scorers with seven different players making at least one.
Take a look at some of the team's top storylines following the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and heading into the weekend.
Tech wins its Big Ten/ACC Challenge game for the fifth consecutive season
With the 13-point victory over Purdue, Tech now owns a five-game winning streak in the Challenge, one of only two ACC schools to have such a streak (Florida State has won seven straight).
"That's a good win for us," head coach Kenny Brooks stated post game. "Obviously, Purdue is a very well-coached team, they are a very experienced team and we knew that we were going to have to play hard"
Tech's average margin of victory has been 18 points per game during the streak and an impressive 21.25 in head coach Kenny Brooks' four wins.
"Yes, you want to win the game, you want to win it for Virginia Tech and for Hokie Nation but also when you stack your program up against someone else's you want to do your part," Brooks said of his program's success in the competition. "This one will bode well for us in the future"
Overall the Hokies are 7-6 in Challenge games.
Dara Mabrey slides into top 10 all-time in 3-point shooting at Tech
After just 42 games, sophomore guard Dara Mabrey has placed her name amongst the top 10 3-point shooters in program history. After knocking down four triples in the win Thursday night against Purdue she now has 103 for her career, good for ninth place all-time.
The Belmar, New Jersey native already owns a piece of history, setting the program mark with 80 made triples in 2018-19, the most in a single-season.
After a stellar freshman campaign where she was an ACC All-Freshman Team selection averaging over 11 points per game, she has seen an uptick in scoring to 15.5 and has contributed more on the glass, securing 3.0 rebounds per game.
Baptiste collects second double-double of the season
After starting the first seven games of the season and 26 overall, forward Trinity Baptiste was used as a substitute Thursday night. She responded, tallying her second double-double in three games with 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Baptiste, who joined the Hokies last season after playing JUCO ball in her home state of Florida, has played in 42 games in her career, starting 26.
Her numbers are remarkably similar when comparing her starts versus appearances off the bench. In 26 starts she goes for 10.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, while off the bench, she has averaged 10.8 points and 7.7 boards per contest.
Sheppard extends scoring streak, continues to spark offense
Junior guard Aisha Sheppard has led the Hokies in scoring from the jump this season. A career 7.8-point scorer, the Alexandria, Virginia native scored 16 points in the season opening victory over Saint Francis and has continued on a stretch scoring in double digits in eight straight games for the first time in her career.
She paces the squad at 17.5 points per game this season.
"She's a work in progress in who she is and what she is going to be," Brooks said. "She is so used to not being the focal point. She's so used to having Taylor Emery on the other side of the court where the focus is on Taylor. She's learning how to be a focal point.
First few games of this year, no one really knew who Aisha Sheppard was, and then now they do. They're going to come out there and they're going to guard her differently. I'm very proud of the way she responded in that second half."
On the horizon
The Hokies' final opportunity to play at home this calendar year comes this Sunday, December 8 vs. Gardner-Webb. It will the programs' fourth time matching up with the Hokies winning each of the last three meetings. In the most recent meeting in 2016, five Hokies were in double figures as Tech won 76-42.
Following that contest, the squad will have a break while the student-athletes complete their exams and academic commitments before gearing up for a trip to Puerto Rico for the Coqui Classic which begins on December 20. Awaiting Tech there will be matchups with Rice and Wichita State.
