SEATTLE — Dallas, here come the Hokies! Elizabeth Kitley and Georgia Amoore combined for 49 points to lift Virginia Tech to an 84-74 victory over Ohio State in the Seattle Regional 3 final of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Monday night inside Climate Pledge Arena.
Making their debut in the Elite Eight, the Hokies' (31-4) historic season now continues with their first trip to the Final Four, which begins Friday at 7 p.m. ET against LSU in Dallas, Texas.
Ohio State (28-8), which knocked off UConn in the Sweet 16 and ended the Huskies' streak of 14 straight Final Fours, was seeking its second trip to the Final Four in program history (1993). However, Tech overcame its first deficit of the NCAA Tournament to continue its postseason run.
Kitley recorded her 56th career double-double, surpassing Regan Magarity for the program record, behind a game-high-tying 25 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. The Summerfield, N.C., native scored seven straight points for Tech to open the fourth quarter.
Amoore dialed up 24 points, her sixth straight game of at least 21 points. She connected on at least four threes for the fourth straight contest. Cayla King scored nine of her 12 points in the opening stanza, while Taylor Soule also chipped in 12 points on 4 of 7 shooting.
The Hokies were money from the charity stripe, converting 24 of 28 attempts (85.7%). Tech owned the glass with a 32-24 rebounding advantage.
Taylor Mikesell led the Buckeyes in the scoring column with 25 on 7 for 11 shooting from beyond the arc. She scored 19 in the first half. Jacy Sheldon and Cotie McMahon, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, contributed 19 and 18 points, respectively.
How it Happened
» Tech hit its first seven shots of the game, including three from beyond the arc en route to a 17-12 advantage
» A driving layup by Sheldon at the 1:49 mark gave Ohio State a 23-22 lead, which was the Hokies' first deficit of the NCAA Tournament
» The Buckeyes held Tech without a field goal for the final 4:17 of the opening stanza in building a 25-22 advantage through 10 minutes
» VT responded in the second quarter, shooting 61.5% (8-13) to reclaim the lead at 48-45 heading into halftime
» Both teams combined to shoot 59.6% in the first half (34-57)
» The Hokies limited OSU to 4 of 15 shooting in the third quarter (26.7%), while Amoore hit one of her signature step-back threes to punctuate the end of the period with Tech in front, 63-55
» Kitley opened the final frame by scoring Tech's first seven points
» Ohio State got no closer than six points the rest of the way as the Hokies knocked down 10 free throws in the fourth quarter
Game Notes
» VT advances to the Final Four for the first time in program history after making its Elite Eight debut Monday night
» The Hokies improved to 2-0 against Ohio State all-time
» VT moved to 13-11 in NCAA Tournament games (12 appearances)
» The Hokies won their 15th consecutive game – tying their longest win streak since VT won 15 straight to open the Kenny Brooks era
» Tech earned its 31st victory of the season (program record)
» VT recorded its eighth win over an AP Top-25 team (program record)
» Tech is a No. 1 seed for the first time in program history
» Georgia Amoore topped the 20-point plateau for the 14th time this season and sixth straight game – the longest streak by a Tech player in 20 years
» Elizabeth Kitley recorded the 56th double-double of her career, passing Regan Magarity's 55; Kitley finished with team highs in points (25) and rebounds (12)
» Tech generated 73 of its 84 points from Kitley, Amoore and the free-throw line
Up Next
» Tech will face No. 3 seed LSU, the Greenville Region 2 champion, Friday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Tickets are available here.
» The Hokies have met the Tigers three times, posting a 1-2 record all-time
» It will be the first meeting between the two sides since Nov. 14, 2006 – a 70-40 LSU win in Baton Rouge, La.
» LSU is led by head coach Kim Mulkey, who faced Tech in the 2021 NCAA Tournament Second Round as the head coach of BaylorGallery: (3-28-2023) WBB: Elite Eight Win over Ohio State
