With the Final Four banner revealed, the ACC Championship ring unveiled pregame, and a nearly sold-out crowd in Cassell, No. 8 Virginia Tech was not fazed by any of the outside noise, as the Hokies crushed High Point 94-55.
“With a group that nine kids have never played for you, seven have never suited up before today, you just didn’t know what to expect,” Tech head coach Kenny Brooks said after the win. “There were a lot of sleepless nights this week just trying to figure out how they were going to perform, and to get one under our belt, it’s sweet satisfaction. The win is great, but just to see what they were going to do when the lights turned on. I was very pleased.”
Preseason All-American and two-time ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley scored the team’s first six points, and ended the night on top of the scorer’s sheet with 27. Kitley continues to prove why she should be a projected top-10 pick in the WNBA.
Michigan State transfer Matilda Ekh impressed in her first game in Cassell. Ekh gobbled five boards – all defensive – and notched 15 points. Georgia Amoore and Cayla King followed behind her with 14.
“Georgia played a phenomenal game,” Brooks said. “… She had us going and we really had a good flow, she’s finding people, shooters. Cayla King did a really good job, Matilda Ekh, I think she’s going to continue to show how valuable she can be to us.”
Big South preseason favorite High Point never stood a chance against the high-powered Hokies’ offense. Tech shot 14-of-16 from the floor in the first 10 minutes, and would not squander their commanding 38-15 lead.
While it wasn’t a perfect game by any means – Tech committed 12 turnovers and 20 fouls – it was enough to get the job done over High Point, and a tune-up for what’s to come. On Thursday, one of the most anticipated matchups of the year in women’s basketball will go down in Charlotte, N.C., as the Hokies take on No. 3 Iowa in the Ally Tip-Off.
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