GAME INFORMATION
Virginia Tech vs. Clemson
Sunday, January 26 – 1 PM
Regional Sports Networks
- Evan Lepler (Play-by-play)
- Kelley Deyo (Color analyst)
THE TIGERS
Clemson enters the contest at 7-12 on the season and 3-5 in the ACC following a 68-64 defeat at Miami on Thursday night. Guard Kendall Spray was 4 of 10 from beyond the arc, tallying 14 points as did center Hannah Hank.
Spray, who averaged 10 points per game, knocked down eight triples in their contest against Notre Dame earlier in the season, the only other ACC player to hit that many in a single game was Aisha Sheppard when she did so at NC State.
As a team the Tigers average 61.7 points per game and have shot the ball at a 40% clip.
NEXT TIME ON THE HARDWOOD
•The Hokies will head to Syracuse, New York to take on the Orange at 8 p.m. on ACC Network on Thursday, January 30.
•Last season's contest was an overtime thriller, with the Orange earning a narrow 75-73 victory despite a 27-point afternoon from Taylor Emery and a double-double from Regan Magarity. Tiana Mangakahia led the Orange with 27 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds.
•All-time in the series, Tech trails 6-7 dating back to the first meeting in 1988.
NEXT TIME ON CARILION CLINIC COURT
•The Hokies are back at Cassell Coliseum on Sunday, February 2 for a 2 p.m. tip against Miami.
•Last season, the Hokies and 'Canes split the series with each program winning on their home floor. Tech's 73-65 win over No. 14 Miami on February 11, 2019 snapped a 15-game losing streak to the Hurricanes and was also the first ranked victory for the program in 17 tries.
•Miami leads the all-time series, which dates back to 2001, 21-7.
Trinity Baptiste came off the bench Thursday night as has been customary for the last few weeks as the Hokies have shuffled their lineup and looked to the junior forward for a spark. She did that and more vs. Boston College scoring 20 points and adding eight rebounds in the Hokies' 70-49 victory on Carilion Clinic Court.
"She got into a rhythm," head coach Kenny Brooks said of Baptiste's play. "We got the ball to her in her sweet spots. We've had to change our offense a little bit from where it's been in the past to really just focus on getting the ball inside, and she's the beneficiary of that. She's had a couple good games. It makes us stronger, more powerful, and we get more points in the paint."
Baptiste, who averages 10.2 points per game, turned in a double figure performance for the second time in seven games doing so with an efficient 9 of 12 shooting night that included a 3-pointer in rhythm.
Trin was h🤑🤑pin' last night 😈
— Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) January 24, 2020
Check out the Play of the Game, three of her game-high 2️⃣0️⃣ points as we roll past Boston College #Hokies 🦃 pic.twitter.com/Kb1l3YUrvo
The front court trio of Baptiste, Elizabeth Kitley and Lydia Rivers combined to produce 44 points on 18-24 shooting and pull down 21 rebounds. Kitley, who hit her first career 3-pointer in the game had her second consecutive double-double and Rivers was 5 for 5 from the floor.
The story of the game really was the Hokies' defense that allowed just 29% shooting from the Eagles and only two 3-point baskets.
"A really good performance by our kids. I thought it might have been our best defensive performance of the year," Brooks remarked postgame. "Obviously, Boston College is a high-powered offense. They score at a high clip and average almost 76 points per game. I thought our kids did a really good job at forcing the action and pushing them into areas they weren't extremely comfortable in."
Boston College's 49 points was a season low and their top offensive threats, Cameron Swartz, Emma Guy and Taylor Soule were held to 22 points on just 6 of 29 shooting from the floor.
"I was very pleased with that," Brooks said when asked about the defensive effort of the Hokies. "[Tech's players] stayed together and did a tremendous job. All in all, I thought we did a tremendous job on the defensive end."
The Hokies have only allowed 70 or more points in regulation in an ACC game three times, the first three contests, which included a home victory over North Carolina.
Tech made some history Thursday, tying the 4-3 mark set by the 2006-07 team for the best seven-game start to ACC play but also registering the first 3-0 mark at home in the league. Brooks and the Hokies have won 14 straight on Carilion Clinic Court, including all nine opportunities so far in 2019-20.
Dating back to last season, Tech has won each of its last six ACC home contests.
With that mark being set and a 14-4 overall record, the media inquired about the Hokies' postseason aspirations. Aisha Sheppard indicated the folks would be seeing 'A lot more of the team.' Trinity Baptiste noted that the squad wants to do better than last season and accomplish some goals.
Coach Brooks, who has been to the Big Dance six times as a head coach stated: "We have an NCAA-caliber team. We can play with the best of them. We can do a lot of different things. We have the tools. If we continue to get better and better and work together, we can get there. First, you have to take care of business and we did that tonight."
He noted the focus that it takes from every member of the team to reach those goals, something he doesn't worry about with this group of Hokies.
"I think it's taken us a couple games to get up to speed, but these young kids, they love scouting reports," he said with a smile. "They read the scouting report from front to back. They want to know about their opponents. Tonight, it paid off. The intensity was there. The communication was there."
Gallery: (1/23/2020) 2020 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL VS. B.C.