BLACKSBURG – Walking off the court with a 35-point victory over George Washington, head coach Kenny Brooks reflected on the night which featured 22 points from Aisha Sheppard, a third consecutive double-double for Elizabeth Kitley and 16 3-pointers, tying the mark for Cassell Coliseum.
"Very pleased with our kids' performance," Brooks noted postgame. "We have a lot of things that we need to work on, continue to get better in certain aspects but happy to be able to go out and play an opponent like GW and come away with a great win. I thought we shot the ball obviously very well, 16 3-pointers that's something that we are capable of doing and I was very pleased with the shot selection that we took. Got good production from some kids, watched them grow up. I'm very pleased with the outcome."
That output produced a season-best 35 field goals, the aforementioned 3-point proclivity and 48 rebounds, a margin of 29 over the over matched Colonials.
The 92-point outburst signaled a third straight game tallying 80+, only the second time in program history that the Hokies have opened a season in that manner (1981-82).
As has been the case so far in the 2020-21 season, individuals also had stellar showings starting with Sheppard, who eclipsed 20 points for the first time this season. She finished with 22 points and again scored five 3's as she continues to chase down Vanessa Panousis' mark of 269 for a career. She sits alone in second place with 233.
Sheppard has also turned into a provider, leading the squad with 12 assists so far and dishing out four helpers against GW.
On the other wing, Cayla King set a career-high with four assists of her own on the night, part of her well-rounded performance that featured 12 points, three rebounds and a block. King knocked down four triples against GW, the third straight game that she has had at least three 3-point field goals, all in starts. She is one of five Hokies averaging double figures at 12.7 per contest.
One of the reasons for the hefty margin on the glass against GW was center Elizabeth Kitley who grabbed 12 rebounds as she recorded another double-double, her third in as many games this season. She had perhaps her best offensive game of her career, and certainly her most efficient one as she scored 16 points and made all seven of her field goal attempts.
For Kitley, however, what stood out to her was the team win, specifically how the Hokies were able to dip into their bench, seeing 12 players touch the floor and nine of them scoring baskets.
"It always makes it fun when you get to see everyone play, everyone do stuff that they work on in practice," the sophomore center said. "We don't always get to see everyone, but in practice we see all these things that people can do and it's nice to finally see them in Cassell when its game time."
One of those players whose 'stuff' was on display was Makayla Ennis who played eight minutes and made the most of it, scoring two 3-pointers much to the delight of her teammates who were visibly excited for the wing player from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
In addition to the career-high in points she grabbed two rebounds.
"When (Ennis) hit two big 3's (against GW) to really get her going, it was great to watch her teammates celebrate to reciprocate that to celebrate for her," Brooks said. "It just goes to show you how much they love each other.
I saw some valuable minutes from our bench. Our bench has gotten better every game. It was almost nonexistent the first game, much better the second game and then here in the third game. It just shows we have some kids that are capable of playing at a high level and as they continue to grow we're going to be a good team."
One of those on the bench is Da'Ja Green a grad transfer from Wofford. Green has been a solid addition, playing 20.0 minutes and averaging 6.7 points, three rebounds and three assists per game so far in her Virginia Tech career.
She currently ranks fifth among active players in Division 1 with 444 assists.
Guard Shelby Calhoun saw the most action of her young career Tuesday night, getting seven minutes of work and scoring the first basket of her career.
"I think you probably saw that she's one of our better defensive players out there," Brooks said of the freshman from Louisville. "She adds an element that I think we definitely are going to need and she'll be able to contribute for us. I was very proud of her just getting minutes and stepping up."
Brooks eluded to her missing most of the preseason with an injury, but he has been encouraged by what she has been able to produce in such a short time on the floor.
Several Hokies rank amongst the league leaders:
•The team leads the ACC in 3's and 3-point FG percentage at 42 (14 per game) and .447 respectively.
•Aisha Sheppard is sixth in scoring at 18.0 points per game. and leads the conference in 3's with 14.
•Elizabeth Kitley ranks first in double-doubles with three and third in rebounds (13.0 per game).
•Cayla King is third in 3FG percentage (.545) and Georgia Amoore is fourth at .533. King is tied for second in 3's made with 12.
NEXT TIME ON CARILION CLINIC COURT
•The Hokies are back at Cassell Coliseum on Friday December 4 to face Appalachian State. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. and will be broadcast on ACC Network.
Appalachian State is 2-0 on the season after defeating Charlotte 74-68 and UNC Asheville 70-60.