Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Behind a dominant defensive effort and a balanced offensive attack, Virginia Tech earned a 59-43 victory over James Madison on Sunday evening on Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum.
It was the second time this season that the Hokies held an opponent to fewer than 50 points. The Dukes’ 43 points were their fewest against Tech in the series history, breaking the previous low of 46 set in the teams’ first-ever meeting on Feb. 19, 1977.
The Hokies overcame a slow offensive start before taking control in the second quarter, outscoring James Madison 18-5 to build a 26-16 halftime advantage. The Dukes’ five second-quarter points were the second-fewest allowed by the Hokies in a quarter this season, as Tech held James Madison to 15.4 percent shooting (2-13) from the field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia Tech brought the energy to open the contest with Alyssa Latham (8:13), Samyha Suffren (7:57), and Leila Wells (5:46) driving the lane for layups to give the Hokies a 6-0 start. Tech held James Madison scoreless until the 5:08 mark when the Dukes broke through with a jump shot in the paint. Wells used a crafty post move to score with 3:48 remaining in the quarter, but that proved to be Tech’s final basket of the period. The Dukes closed with nine unanswered points to take an 11-8 lead after the first 10 minutes.
Coming out of the quarter break, Carleigh Wenzel forced a turnover and capitalized on the other end with a triple at 9:28 to tie the game. Kate Sears then took over the scoring, contributing six straight points, capped by a three-pointer at 4:53, to put the Hokies ahead, 17-11. Freshman Kaleo Anderson also provided a spark off the bench, muscling her way to the basket for a layup at 3:51 and knocking down a trey off Wenzel’s dish at 2:06 to help send Virginia Tech into halftime ahead, 26-16.
Quick on the attack to start the second half, Suffren drained a three-pointer from the top of the key at 9:19. Those were the only points of the half until James Madison hit a jumper at 8:18 to trim the deficit to 29-18, its first points since the 4:11 mark of the second quarter. Wenzel soared for a lay-in at 7:22 before intercepting a pass on the following defensive possession and sending the ball downcourt to Wells for a basket at 7:03, forcing the Dukes to call a timeout. Latham took over late in the period, answering James Madison’s scoring with a six-point spurt of her own. In the final six seconds of the third quarter, Aniya Trent corralled a miss and used the glass to convert the second-chance opportunity, giving the Hokies a 44-30 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes.
Wenzel opened the final period with a driving layup at 9:44, and Sears added a jumper at 7:44 to keep the Hokies in control, 48-34. Dimaro provided an important spark on both ends of the floor, recording a block before finishing a driving layup to extend the lead to 50-34 with 5:58 remaining. Virginia Tech continued to hold the Dukes at bay, with Wenzel converting four consecutive free throws at 3:01 and 2:20 to help maintain the lead. Suffren connected on three free throws in the final minute as Tech closed out the 59-43 victory.
GAME NOTES
• Virginia Tech snapped a three-game skid to James Madison, earning its first win in the series history since Dec. 14, 2008
• With the victory, head coach Megan Duffy improves to 5-2 against teams from the Commonwealth of Virginia. It was also the 199th of her career
• The Hokies, in the last three games, have held opponents to an average of 45 points
• Tech controlled all five specialty stat categories
• Virginia Tech edged out James Madison 47-32 on the glass
• Freshman Jessica Dimaro finished with a career-high 14 rebounds, 11 on the defensive boards
• Dimaro’s 14 rebounds are second-most by a player in the ACC this season
• Alyssa Latham (7), Aniya Trent (6), and Carleigh Wenzel (5) each finished with a season-bests in the rebounding column
• Wenzel also led all scorers with 15 on the evening and a game-high four assists
• Latham’s spark off the bench also included eight points, two assists, a block, and a steal
• Samyha Suffren alongside Wenzel was credited with three takeaways
UP NEXT
Virginia Tech takes its first road trip of the season heading up to VCU on Thursday, Nov. 12 for a 6 p.m. start. The game will be aired on ESPN+.