Tech rolls past Florida State, 79-54, on the roadTech rolls past Florida State, 79-54, on the road
Women's Basketball

Tech rolls past Florida State, 79-54, on the road

Mackenzie Nelson posted 18 points and 12 assists, both career-highs, for her first career double-double

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Box Score

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Virginia Tech played consistent offense to claim a 79-54 victory at Florida State Thursday evening. Two Hokies, Mackenzie Nelson and Mel Daley, posted their first career double-doubles in the win.

Tech’s 25-point victory over the Seminoles is their largest margin of victory in the series history that started back in 1979.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Virginia Tech came out in force, ripping on a seven-point run that saw Carys Baker knock down a triple (9:37), a mid-range shot from Mel Daley (8:42), and a running layup from Kilah Freelon (8:14). The Hokies kept shooting from long-range as Carleigh Wenzel and Baker helped to give their team a 16-4 advantage with 4:34 remaining. Tech continued to find its offensive rhythm while holding Florida State to 21.1 percent shooting from the field (4-19) to take a 26-12 lead after the first ten minutes.

The Seminoles were trying to find their offensive pacing early and were met with answers from Baker. Florida State was inspired by a few late quarter baskets, including a three-pointer with 47 seconds remaining, but the Hokies responded with a late spurt to push the lead back to 17, 45-28, at halftime.

Florida State opened the second half with renewed aggression, scoring the first four points while holding Virginia Tech off the board for almost a minute. The Hokies continued to press offensively as Aniya Trent (5:29) ran down the floor to receive a deep pass from Nelson and Samyha Suffren (5:02) taking the paint for a lay-in to claim a 20-point advantage (57-36). Scoring was spread across the team as Tech headed into the final period up comfortably, 59-42.

Virginia Tech put the game away in the final period, opening the quarter with consecutive baskets by Baker (9:44) and Nelson (9:06) to extend the lead beyond 20 (63-42). The Hokies attacked the paint, shared the ball effectively to go on a 12-2 run that was capped by a driving layup from Nelson (3:05) to extend the margin and close out the 79-54 win.

GAME NOTES

  • Virginia Tech improves to 10-3 overall on the season and 1-1 in the ACC
  • The Hokies posted their sixth 20-point win on the season and 10th decided by double figures
  • Tech held the advantage in three specialty stat categories, including scoring 40 points in the paint (40-18)
  • It is the second game this season where two Hokies posted a double-double, following Kilah Freelon and Kayl Petersen doing so in the season opener versus Towson
  • Guard Mackenzie Nelson posted her first career double-double behind 18 points and 12 assists, both career-bests
  • Nelson’s 12 assist are the most by a player since Georgia Amoore recorded 14 against Virginia on Feb. 1, 2024
  • Virginia Tech moves to 7-1 when Nelson dishes five or more assists in a game
  • Guard Mel Daley also posted her first career double-double, going for 16 points and a career-high 10 rebounds
  • Junior Carys Baker led all players with 21 points while shooting 9-15 from the field
  • It was Baker’s second consecutive 20-point performance and is the second time this season where she had back-to-back 20-point games

UP NEXT

Virginia Tech concludes their non-conference slate and the 2025 calendar with a Sunday, Dec. 21 contest with Radford. Tip-off is set for noon inside Cassell Coliseum.