Hokies roll past Hurricanes, get set for key matchup with NC State Thursday nightHokies roll past Hurricanes, get set for key matchup with NC State Thursday night
Women's Basketball

Hokies roll past Hurricanes, get set for key matchup with NC State Thursday night

Opens in a new window VT head coach Kenny Brooks postgame

BLACKSBURG – Kenny Brooks and the Virginia Tech women's basketball program are gearing up for a showdown with seventh-ranked NC State on Thursday, February 6 at Cassell Coliseum in what could be a pivotal matchup for ACC and indeed NCAA seeding in the postseason.
 
Tech fought hard in the team's first matchup, where Aisha Sheppard dropped a career-best 28 points and a program record eight three-pointers. But Wolfpack center Elissa Cunane also tallied 28 points and pulled her team to a 76-69 victory in Raleigh. 
 
This time, the two square off in Blacksburg, where the Hokies have not lost since February 10, 2019, falling to second-ranked Louisville by five points. Since then, the squad has reeled off 16 straight wins on the floor, the nation's third-longest home winning streak.
 


 
Tech has won five of the last seven games in the league, including a rivalry win at Virginia.
 
Against Miami, in a game of runs, the Hokies scored just 24 points in the first half – while holding a lead. In the second, the team broke out for 45 points and was able to cruise to a 69-45 victory. Trinity Baptiste's 17 points paced the Hokies, while Aisha Sheppard (14) and Dara Mabrey (11) were also in double figures.
 
Each of the Hokies' last three home games have resulted in 20-plus point victories (71-50 vs. Clemson and 70-49 vs. Boston College).
 
In those three games, the Hokies' defense has been on another level, holding the opposition to just 27.1% shooting from the field and 22.8% from beyond the arc. In contrast, the Hokies have been shooting at a 39.7% and 35.1% clip respectively.
 
Another thing that stands out is the Hokies' success at the free throw line. While taking 44 free throws in their last three wins, the squad has made 80% of their opportunities (35). In that same span the opposition is just 35 of 63 (55%).
 
Tech has allowed 48 points per game in their last three games at Cassell.
 "I thought we did a good job of taking [Miami] out of rhythm," Coach Brooks noted. "We went to zone. I thought we did a good job of forcing them into tough situations and leading out and getting a couple easy baskets, which you always need. That was a goal of ours—make them pay for their mistakes. I thought we did a good job of that."
 
The seventh-ranked Wolfpack will present quite a challenge for Tech, as they enter the game on a seven-game winning streak since falling at rival North Carolina on January 7. NC State boasts one of the best post players in the nation in Cunane, who was added to the Wooden Award Late Season Watch List Monday night.
 
On the season, she averages 17 points and 10.3 rebounds, tallying 11 double-doubles, which is tied for the most in the conference. 
 
Monday night, the NCAA Tournament committee announced its top 16 seeds, with the Wolfpack earning number seven.
 
"They're one of the best teams in the country," Brooks said of the Wolfpack. "Wes [Moore] does a tremendous job. He has the pieces in place. Hopefully, Hokie Nation will come and will get them in here. But to have them here, it is a resume game. But right now, we're looking at it as a good foe that we can compete with and win."
 
A win would be that marquee victory that the Hokies have gone without for so long. The Hokies haven't beaten a top 10 team since knocking off No. 8 Tennessee in December of 2015. They have lost each of the last eight times in that situation. 
 
But, more significantly, a win over the Wolfpack would be the team's seventh in league play, which would set a new program record since the school joined the ACC in 2004. Reaching seven is a goal of Brooks and the squad, but they also see the potential to push the record even further.
 
"It's a situation where if you don't take care of business, it could go the other way," Brooks commented. "There's just so much parity in this league. Earlier in the year, I felt like this could be a good group. I'm excited. It just tells us that we're on the right path. When we alerted [the players] to that, they kind of gave me that face like, 'Our goals are bigger than that.' When we broke the huddle, we didn't talk about, 'Hey, we tied the school record." We have bigger goals than that. We just want to continue to win."
 
On the lighter side, Hokie fans got to see a special moment in the waning moments of Sunday's victory over Miami. For the first time, redshirt freshman guard Chloe Brooks stepped onto Carilion Clinic Court in a competitive environment Sunday afternoon. She took one shot, a three-pointer in transition set up by Taja Cole.
 


 
For Chloe, the basket represented her first collegiate points and for father and coach Kenny, it meant so much more.
 
"People don't understand the full story with her," said Brooks. "She's dealing with nerve damage in her foot. There's just no remedy for it. She's just taking baby steps every day. She's so strong-minded, like her mom. When Chloe got her feet set and let it go, I knew it was good. A lot of the jubilation for me was not just watching Chloe knock down that shot, it was watching her teammates celebrate and experience it with her. I'm so excited and happy for her. Proud dad, proud coach."
 
Thursday's game vs. NC State will be an Orange Out, with the first 300 fans through the doors will receive a free t-shirt at marketing booth located near Section 3. Additionally, the first 100 students will receive t-shirts.