Tech WBB brings momentum from road victory over rival UVA home to Cassell ColiseumTech WBB brings momentum from road victory over rival UVA home to Cassell Coliseum
Women's Basketball

Tech WBB brings momentum from road victory over rival UVA home to Cassell Coliseum

Opens in a new window VT head coach Kenny Brooks quotes

BLACKSBURG – For the first time in four tries, the Virginia Tech women's basketball team walked off the court at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville winners after a 13-point second half comeback victory over rival Virginia Sunday afternoon 69-61. 
 
The win evened the Hokies' conference record at 3-3 and perhaps signaled a turning point as the squad held on to a late lead and closed out the game, unlike last season's game at Virginia or last week's overtime loss to Duke. The maturation from the squad is something head coach Kenny Brooks has been looking for.
 
"I thought we did a really good job of continuing to attack," Brooks said. "We didn't sit around and say 'Ah okay we stopped them, we have a 3-point lead so this possession is not important.' I thought we valued every possession down the stretch."
 
Tech struggled in the first half at Virginia, scoring a season low 18 points, before erupting for 51 in the second half. The execution was there and timely shot-making, but credit the moves made in the locker room as well.
 
"We simplified our offense with a bit of double post action," Brooks shared of the adjustments. "We had a couple kids who weren't playing particularly well, but we were able to get some spacing in the second half with that double post offense and we could see the double teams coming a lot better and it opened up some things for us on the perimeter. It looked a lot smoother, then the kids just did a tremendous job of adjusting."
 
The Hokies took advantage of their free throw opportunities vs. the Cavaliers as they have all season long shooting 74% from the charity stripe. Coach Brooks challenged the squad last week to get more opportunities as they had been outshot by ACC opposition, who had 71 shots to the Hokies' 54. Sunday at Virginia, Tech went 18-22 from the line and were able to seal the game there late. 
 
Virginia Tech scored 69 points Sunday, a few below their season average, but how they got there was impressive. All five starters were in double figures for the first time this season and only the fourth time that five had tallied double digits (Saint Francis, Maryland Eastern Shore, Wichita State).

  • Dara Mabrey 15 points (4-6)
  • Aisha Sheppard 13 points (3-15)
  • Lydia Rivers 13 points (4-5)
  • Elizabeth Kitley 12 points 6-8)
  • Taja Cole 10 points (4-11)

Tech's scoring output in league play has been remarkably consistent; 62, 69, 76, 68, 67 and 69 points. The team averages 68.5 points in ACC play so far.
 
Dara Mabrey broke out of a mini slump Sunday going 4 for 5 from beyond the arc including clutch shots to take the lead and then extend it with a 30-footer from the logo off an inbounds play. She had been 7 of 29 in the previous three games. 
 


 
Her 127 made 3's rank tied for ninth all-time at Virginia Tech.
 
Coming into the game, the voice of Virginia Tech women's basketball Bryant Johnson noted that Taja Cole was playing at such a high level that only All-American Sabrina of Ionescu of Oregon was putting up the same numbers. 
 


 
Cole, as has become customary filled the box score again with 10 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals in the win over Virginia. Over her last three games Cole has averaged 15.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.6 steals per contest. She leads the conference with 109 assists and her 6.41 per game mark is also the top in the league.
 
Of note, the win over Virginia marked the program's 700th.
 


 
This coming week, the Hokies will play host to Boston College (10-8, 3-4) on Thursday, January 23 and Clemson (7-11, 3-4) on Sunday, January 26. 
 
"We have four of the next five at home, we play well at home, we have a good following at home and it's time to step up and take advantage of it," Brooks said on the upcoming ACC slate. "It's not going to be easy. We play Boston College on Thursday, they beat Georgia Tech at Georgia Tech today, it's going to be tough. Clemson, we have them on Sunday and they beat Duke today so it's just a crazy league, every game is going to be kind of different. There are no givens, and you have to come out and be prepared to play. To take a mantra from our football program, just 'Go 1-0.' 
 
Thursday night will be a Blackout in Cassell Coliseum and Sunday will be a Youth Team Day.
 Gallery: (1/19/2020) 2020 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL at VIRGINIA