Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech women's basketball team earned a hard-fought 68-64 victory over Florida in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Wednesday night inside Cassell Coliseum.
Tech used a strong fourth quarter behind balanced scoring and delivered timely stops to outlast the Gators in the final minutes in a game that featured 12 ties and 12 lead changes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia Tech was electric to open the game, starting a 10-2 run with scores from Kilah Freelon (9:36), Carys Baker (9:01, 6:48), Mel Daley (8:27), and Mackenzie Nelson (8:02), to force Florida to call their first timeout of the game a little over three minutes in. The Gators flipped the momentum as they came back to the court with an 8-0 run. The Hokies fought back to tie the game at 19-19 to end the quarter, with Carleigh Wenzel scoring her first points of the night from the line and Samyha Suffren driving down the lane for a lay-up.
Florida came out applying full court pressure to the Hokies offense, forcing a three-minute Tech scoring drought. Baker got the rhythm going for offense with a baseline three-pointer (6:44) and a point from the free throw line (6:21). As the momentum continued to swing back-and-forth, Aniya Trent gave Tech a lift as she was knocked on her way up to the basket and converted the extra shot from the line drew the and-one found to pull the Hokies within two, 34-32, with just over a minute left until half. Baker beat the buzzer, grabbing the offensive carom, and elevating right in front of the charity stripe to keep the game even, 34-all, at the half.
With the start of second-half play, Baker again got the scoring going with a baseline jumper (8:40), immediately followed by a triple (7:59) the next possession. The Hokies’ 6-0 run capped by Baker’s fastbreak lay-in at 5:39 forced the Gators to regroup. Florida responded with six unanswered to keep the game level at the 3:51 mark, 47-47. Carleigh Wenzel hit two crucial shots from the charity stripe with just 32 remaining in the third frame to keep it close as Tech faced a one-point deficit, 52-51, going into the fourth period.
The pendulum swung again with the tandem of Baker and Wenzel helping to get the Hokies’ back in front just a minute and a half into the action. A steal by Suffren at the 6:48 mark helped to halt Florida’s short run to keep the score even (55-55). Virginia Tech punched ahead by six after four straight points from Daley and Baker’s lay-up off a turnover at 3:57. The Gators cut the deficit back to three, three times, but free throws allowed Tech to hold on for the 68-64 victory.
GAME NOTES
- Virginia Tech improves to 2-1 all-time in the ACC/SEC Challenge while earning their first win on their home court
- The Hokies remain a perfect 2-0 inside Cassell Coliseum against the Gators
- It was the first meeting between Tech and Florida that was decided by single digits
- Virginia Tech held the slight 39-38 edge off the glass
- The Hokies won all five specialty stat categories with their largest margin in second chance points, 13-6
- Forward Carys Baker put up her fifth 20-point game of her career, while also grabbing a season-high 10 rebounds
- It was Baker’s first double-double of the season and third at Virginia Tech
- Baker had two consecutive 20-point games for the first time in her career
- Guard Mel Daley put together her third straight double figure scoring game with 12 points
- Carleigh Wenzel tallied eight points, a game-high six assists, five rebounds, and a block in 32 minutes
- Freshman Aniya Trent came off the bench for a career-night, scoring seven points on 3-3 shooting from the floor to go with five boards
UP NEXT
Virginia Tech remains at home to kick-off ACC action with a Sunday, Dec. 7 game against Duke. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ACC Network.