Friday was a preview of what's to come for Virginia Tech women's basketball.
The fourth-seeded squad was missing its All-American center, and its All-American guard didn't have to play her normal slate of minutes for a victory to take place in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
No Kitley. Just a sliver of Amoore. No problem.
Outside of those two, there was not a lot of NCAA Tournament experience. Some may have thought that could have been a problem. But not for this group. They made a game of this magnitude look like a breeze, with the Hokies (25-7) earning their largest NCAA Tournament win in program history, downing No. 13-seeded Marshall (26-7) 92-49.
It also marked their 26th straight win in Cassell, marking a new program record (previous best was 25 games).
With the win, the Hokies advance to the second round and will face No. 5-seeded Baylor on Sunday at Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum. The game time and TV designation will be announced upon the completion of the first round.
Tech was paced by guard/forward Matilda Ekh, who poured in a game-high 21 points and pulled down three rebounds, and forward Clara Strack, who tallied 17 points, five rebounds and two assists on a perfect 7-for-7 from the field.
Three other Hokies scored in double figures, including Carleigh Wenzel (12 points), Rose Micheaux (10 points) and Cayla King (10 points). Wenzel turned in one of her better performances to date, dishing out seven assists and recording six rebounds. Forward Olivia Summiel grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.
The clamps were put on defensively, holding the Thundering Herd to shooting just 24 percent, while Tech shot a blistering 54 percent on its way to a program record in the NCAA Tournament of 92 points.
Gallery: (3-22-2024) WBB: NCAA Tournament vs. Marshall
