BLACKSBURG, VA --Elizabeth Kitley totaled 31 points to help lead the Virginia Tech women's basketball team past the Clemson Tigers 74-62 at home Sunday.
The Hokies (14-4, 5-2) had two players score in double figures, led by Kitley, who had 31 points, eight rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Matilda Ekh tacked on 16 points and Cayla King added eight points and nine assists.
Virginia Tech collected 33 rebounds in Sunday's game compared to Clemson's 30, led by nine boards from Olivia Summiel.
The Hokies did a great job disrupting Clemson shots in the contest, coming away with six blocks. Clara Strack led the way individually for the Hokies with three rejections.
How It Happened
Virginia Tech started out the scoring by going on a 7-0 run, culminating in a bucket from Kitley, to take an early lead with 7:50 left in the first quarter. The Hokies then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 16-12 advantage. Virginia Tech did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring eight of its 16 points close to the basket.
Clemson rallied to take a 29-24 lead before Virginia Tech went on a 7-0 run starting at the 1:33 mark in the second period, highlighted by a three from Ekh, to take a 31-29 lead, a score that would hold until halftime. Virginia Tech was strong from deep in the period, knocking down three three-point shots to account for nine of its 15 points.
Following intermission, Virginia Tech continued to expand its advantage, pushing it to 43-40 before going on a 5-0 run to expand its lead further to 48-40 with 2:50 to go in the third. The Hokies held onto that lead for the rest of the frame and entered the fourth quarter with a 53-45 edge. Virginia Tech knocked down three three-pointers in the quarter to score nine of its 22 total points.
Virginia Tech kept its lead intact before going on a 6-0 run, finished off by Kitley's layup, to grow the lead to 70-57 with 1:13 to go in the contest. The Tigers narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Hokies still cruised the rest of the way for the 74-62 win. Virginia Tech took advantage of four Clemson turnovers in the quarter, scoring six points off of those takeaways.
Game Notes
» Kitley's 15 field goals are a record for a single game at Cassell Coliseum.
» The Hokies held the Tigers to only 38.3 percent shooting from the field.
» The Hokies shared the ball well, recording an assist on 83 percent of made baskets.
» Elizabeth Kitley and Matilda Ekh carried the load for the Hokies, accounting for 64 percent their points.
» Virginia Tech had a great day defensively, holding Clemson to 17 percent from beyond the arc on 18 attempts.
» Virginia Tech had a 33-30 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Virginia Tech defense forced 15 turnovers.
» The Hokies were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording six blocks as a team.
» Elizabeth Kitley led the Hokies with a game-high 31 points.
» Virginia Tech got a team-high nine rebounds from Olivia Summiel.
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Gallery: (1-21-2024) WBB: Clemson Game