The ACC Tournament has started up, and the Lady Hokies had a first-round bye. They played Georgia Tech to open their tournament run, and the pause might have made them a bit tight. This one is a quick summary, since the team plays again this evening at 7:30 against UNC. The score on this one looks low because, well, this was a defensive match-up and the Hokies have been getting wins with big D, and timely offense.
The Hokies Drew the Other ACC Tech, Again
Georgia Tech managed to defeat Florida State in the opening round of the ACC Tournament.
This time it is being played in Duluth, Georgia, so the crowd was decidedly pro-Atlanta based Yellow Jacket. That might have been a tad intimidating for the Lady Hokies but the last time the Tech’s faced off the Hokies got the better of the situation. It seemed reasonable to think that the same result would happen again. It didn’t start out that way, though.
The Hokies have been a bit infamous for slow starting this season. Not all the time, but many times it has just taken a bit of time for the team to settle down, relax, and play the basketball that they are capable of. That can be a minor issue, or it can spell trouble from the start. I this one, it potentially spelled a crash out in a tournament that they had a shot to advance in.
The reality of the Hokie first quarter was scary. The shots were not falling. The defense was reasonable, but with few balls actually hitting net (on the inside), the Lady Hokies were really struggling on offense. In fact, the first quarter of this contest was the lowest total score that Virginia Tech had registered all season… or maybe even past seasons, too. The team looked hurried, tight, and was just not taking quality shots.
Leila Wells, and Carleigh Wenzel were the only Hokies to score, Leila hit a three to open Virginia Tech’s scoring well into the period at the 7:15 point. Now, Georgia Tech hadn’t been rolling up big numbers, either and Wells’s basket narrowed their lead to 4-3, but the Hokies would not score, again, until Carleigh hit two buckets in a row just before the horn sounded. Our Tech was far behind the eight ball with a disastrous looking 7-17 score, and just not managing to get enough balls to fall.
Carleigh’s buckets seemed to break the ice, though. Virginia Tech was finally finding the basket in the 2nd quarter. Their defensive work hadn’t slacked off to go with finally getting shots to fall. The tone of the quarter was set on the first possession, because Samyha Suffren drove in on a fast move to the basket for 2 to open the quarter. Mackie Nelson checked in big with a steal, and solo fast break to the paint for a 2-pointer. Virginia Tech kept up the D, and stopped the Lady Jackets while Carleigh dropped in a foul shot to narrow the Georgia Tech lead to 17-12. Though the Jackets would score a bucket, Suffren erased the difference with her own strong move and that was followed up by a GT turnover that Mackie Nelson converted into 2-points. Both teams hit a dry spell for two minutes, but Mackie followed up her basket with another 2-pointer and that put Virginia Tech one point behind Georgia Tech, and what’s more important Virginia Tech was riding some serious momentum.
At the 4:09 point in the 2nd, Leila Wells dropped in a 2-pointer, and Virginia Tech had finally passed Georgia Tech 20-19. That’s when Carys Baker erupted for 2 buckets from the floor. The Hokies started to widen the lead, and with one and a half minutes left in the half, Carys finally found the range from outside the arc to drain a three. Carleigh finished the half off with two free-throws, but as the horn sounded the Yellow Jackets were playing from multiple possessions behind the exchange but the score might strike folks as odd because it was so low.
The Second Half Stayed Close
29-23 is not a lead to sit on if you can help it. That’s two downtown buckets, on spoiled possessions, so the Hokies might have salvaged a disaster, but they had to manage to keep Georgia Tech from claiming the Third Quarter Rule for themselves.
That looked like an improved probability when Mackie Nelson grabbed a defensive board, and the ball ended up in Kilah Freelon’s hands for a layup. Georgia Tech made two from the charity stripe, but Leila Wells answered with a trey. Then after more Georgia Tech free throws, Mackie Nelson drained a three-pointer and did it again to stretch the differential to 10.
The scoring would see-saw back and forth, but Georgia Tech didn’t manage to close the gap to less than two possessions. The final minute and 20 or so seconds of the 3rd quarter were totally defensive, and no one scored. The period ended with the Hokies hanging on to a 4-point lead.
Virginia Tech had the Lead and the Momentum
The fourth quarter was going to be a wrestling match. Georgia Tech had narrowed the lead enough to give them a bit of confidence that they could close the gap, but the Hokies were staying on the plus side of the exchange. The first bucket went to Georgia Tech, and suddenly it was a one possession game. Samyha fixed that bump and dropped in a really critical jumper to get the differential back to 4-points. That’s when Carleigh stepped up and connected with a shot from beyond the arc, suddenly a modest lead started to widen. In a close defensive game, 7 points are difficult to make up.
Both teams hit a bit of a dry spell, but that actually benefitted Virginia Tech, since that differential didn’t evaporate for two and a half minutes of the quarter. That ice was broken by Kilah Freelon who hit a timely layup to get the differential up to 9 points; 57-48.
The Hokies just kept pushing the differential back to 10 points with continual answers to Georgia Tech’s scores. The final score for the Hokies was dropped in by Samyha Suffren to hit the 62 mark, but that effectively ended the Georgia Tech chances to close the gap. There was just a minute left on the clock and too much to overcome.
The Hokies ended up taking a 2-point hit from the Yellow Jackets near the end, but that was really an inconsequential score. The final horn went off to a 62-54 Hokie victory, and they advanced to the next round.
A Few Stats
Carleigh Wenzel
Carleigh led the Hokies in scoring with 15 points. She had 4 defensive rebounds and 2 assists. The points came at critical junctions in the game. She might not be completely happy with her percentage, but she hit when it counted.
Mackie Nelson
Well, look at this! Mackie Nelson nearly double-doubled on points and rebounds with 14 and 9 boards. She was a solid 6-10 from the floor and that included 2 three-pointers out of the 4 that she attempted. Mackie also had 6 assists on offense and a block with 2 steals on defense. Nelson was the difference maker in this one, and even got the post-game interview on court.
Carys Baker, Samyha Suffren, Kilah Freelon, and Leila Wells
Carys scored 9 points on a superior mostly defensive effort. She had a block and a steal, along with 3 defensive rebounds. She also pushed up the offensive presence with 4 ORBs. Samyha, Kilah, and Leila each scored 8. Freelon had 7 boards, Wells nabbed 6, Suffren pulled down 5. Defensively Freelon had 3 steals and a block. Wells pushed out 2 assists on offense. Samyha pushed out five assists to help on offense.
The UNC Tip is at 7:30 This Evening
There is no rest for the weary in tournament ball. UNC barely beat the Hokies just a couple of games ago. Virginia Tech has a very good chance of grabbing a major upset in this one. If they play the kind of defense that they did against Georgia Tech, and manage to get their offense in rhythm and hitting it could get interesting.
