Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech women’s basketball opened the 2025–26 season in emphatic fashion, powering past Towson, 100–56, Tuesday night inside Cassell Coliseum
With the win, Duffy is now 9–0 in season openers as a head coach.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Tuesday’s matchup saw the debuts of many newcomers including Kilah Freelon and Mel Daley who made their first starts for Tech. Freelon won the opening tip for Virginia Tech before sprinting down the court to make a layup for her first points as a Hokie within seven seconds to open the scoring. The senior transfer carried the load with eight points in the opening quarter, followed by Daley with six to help Tech to a 22-13 advantage at the end of the first ten minutes.
Tech’s defensive pressure heightened in the second quarter, holding Towson to just two field goals over a nearly four-minute stretch. Sophie Swanson came off the bench for five points in the second quarter including the first three-pointer of the game with nearly seven minutes left. Kayl Petersen provided a lift off the bench with a game-high eight points in the second frame after going 4-4 from the charity stripe. The Hokies carried a 41–30 lead into the halftime break.
Daley started the second half off swiftly with an easy basket and the Hokies didn’t look back. Tech continues on with a 9-0 run forcing the Tigers to take a timeout to regroup. Petersen buried back-to-back triples while Carleigh Wenzel converted a three-point play as part of a 12-0 run to out-score Towson in the third quarter, 34-12, for a 75-42 edge headed into the final quarter of action.
The Hokies continued to roll in the fourth with 25 points after shooting 10-17 (0.588) from the field and without a miss from the line (5-5, 1.000). Samyha Suffren forced three Tiger turnovers and went coast-to-coast for points each time. Freelon also pulled down three rebounds to complete her 15 point, 11 rebound double-double. As time went on, Virginia Tech cruised to a 44-point lead, their largest lead of the game, by the end of the fourth quarter.
NOTES
- Virginia Tech put up their first 100-point performance since their 105-94 double overtime victory at No. 13 Georgia Tech
- Tech dominated in all five specialty stat categories including 58 points in the paint
- Ten different Hokies scored in the win with five finishing in double figures
- The Hokies were five points shy of tying the record for the most points scored in a home game which was last done on Nov. 16, 2023 with 105 against Houston Christian
- Kayl Petersen came off the bench to record her first career double-double with career-highs in points (17) and (11) rebounds
- Kilah Freelon recorded a double-double in her debut with 15 points and 11 assists
- It is the first double-double in a debut since Trinity Baptiste put up 10 points and 10 rebounds versus USC Upstate in 2018 and just the fourth instance in a debut
- Freelon and Petersen were the first duo to have 10 or more rebounds in a game since Elizabeth Kitley (15) and Olivia Summiel (11) did it versus Boston College on Feb. 11, 2024
- Guard Carleigh Wenzel put together a stat-stuffing performance of 14 points, six rebounds, six assists, three steals, and two blocks
- Junior Samyha Suffren posted 12 points in her return to action while graduate student Daley tallied 11 points to round out the double figure scoring
- Mackenzie Nelson was impactful with a game-high seven assists and six rebounds to go with her nine points
- Sophomore Leila Wells added a career-best seven points with three made field goals
UP NEXT
Virginia Tech will host Loyola Maryland on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. in Cassell Coliseum.