Hokie ClubAUSTIN, TEXAS – The Virginia Tech women's basketball team saw its season come to a close Friday in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament as the Hokies fell to eighth-seeded Oregon 70-60. The Ducks advance to the next round to face either homestanding Texas or Missouri State.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game began with the teams trading 3-point baskets as Oregon's Mia Jacobs scored the first basket of the game (9:32), which was answered on the next possession by Leila Wells with a corner jumper (9:12). Tech would hold a brief advantage at 6:35 after Kilah Freelon scored a layup and then again at 6:11 after Texas native Carleigh Wenzel scored her first jumper of the afternoon to make it 9-7. Oregon would settle in and go on a 12-0 run, holding the Hokies without a point for nearly five minutes as the Ducks established a lead they would never relinquish. The first quarter ended with the Ducks leading 22-11.
In the second frame, Tech was buoyed by their bench as Samyha Suffren scored a free throw (8:58) and Mel Daley would score three field goals to help the Hokies cut into the Oregon lead. Daley's jumper at 4:37 punctuated a 9-2 Hokie spurt that brought the deficit back to just two points at 28-26. Jacobs would hit the final shot of the half, a triple to help her squad take a 35-29 advantage into the locker room.
Carys Baker scored the first bucket of the third quarter (9:37) which made it a four-point game, but that would be as close as the Hokies would come as the Ducks answered with an 18-0 run to push the lead out to 22. In that span Ehis Etute, Katie Fiso, Jacobs and Sarah Rasmus contributed for the Ducks. Delay (2:58) stopped the run with a layup and Sophie Swanson added a layup of her own (2:20) as the Hokies tried to seize momentum back. Wenzel closed the quarter with a fast break layup (0:40) bringing the score to 55-40.
Baker would heat up in the fourth quarter, where she started the Hokies' scoring with a three-pointer (6:55) and would go on to make four more as she collected a tenth 20-point game of the season. Her jumper with two seconds left closed the gap to the final margin of 10. She also pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds to record a double-double.
GAME NOTES
- Baker's 21-point effort was her tenth 20-point game of the season. It was just the second game in which the Hokies lost when the junior scored 20 or more.
- Baker's double-double was her second of the season and the 14 rebounds were a career-best.
- With only one double figure scorer, Tech finished the season 0-3 in games with one athlete scoring 10 or more.
- The Hokies held an advantage in fastbreak points (13-2), second chance points (14-11) and points off turnovers (15-11).