Hokies dispatch Lady Vols, advance to first-ever Elite Eight
Amoore delivers career high, Kitley scores 2,000th career point
**********Elizabeth Kitley, from Northwest Guilford High School scored 12 points, and she grabbed 8 rebounds, while her teammate from Northwest Guilford HS, and her fellow VA Tech Hokie Cayla King, had 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals, as Tech took care of Tennessee, and now the ACC’s Hokie hopefuls have reached the NCAA Elite Eight, for the first school/program history….Big news on Liz Kitley reaching the 2,000 point mark for her college career, with this “Hokie Victory”…Next up will be the Ohio State Buckeyes, who dispensed of the UConn Huskies, on Saturday….**********
SEATTLE — Georgia Amoore dialed up a career-high 29 points to lift No. 1 seed Virginia Tech over No. 4 seed Tennessee 73-64 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament inside Climate Pledge Arena Saturday evening.
The Hokies (30-4), who never trailed in the game, withstood a furious second-half rally by the Lady Vols (25-12) to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history. Tennessee cut an 18-point deficit to one with 6:10 to go in the contest, but Tech showed its poise down the stretch to move on.
Kayana Traylor and Elizabeth Kitley chipped in 14 and 12 points, respectively. Kitley notched her 2,000th career point in the third quarter to become the fifth Virginia Tech basketball player (men’s or women’s) to eclipse the mark.
Tech finished at 42.6% from the floor while holding Tennessee to 40.3%. Perhaps more importantly, the Hokies won the battle of the boards, 38-36. Amoore distributed five of Tech’s 13 assists.
Jordan Horston led a trio of Lady Vols in double figures with 17 points. Rickea Jackson, who did not play in the season’s first meeting between the two sides, recorded 15 points, while Jordan Walker finished with 12.
How it Happened
» The Hokies scored the first nine points of the game, hitting four of their first six shots
» Kitley contributed six points in the opening period in propelling Tech to an 18-13 advantage at the end of the first 10 minutes
» Fueled by Amoore’s five points, the Hokies ended the second quarter on an 8-0 run to claim a 35-22 lead at the break
» Amoore led all scorers at halftime with 15 points
» Kitley, who picked up her second foul with 7:32 to go in the second stanza, scored her 2,000th career point at the 8:56 mark of the third quarter off a dime from Taylor Soule – building Tech’s largest lead of the game at 18 (40-22)
» The Lady Vols reeled off a 7-0 run to end the third quarter to cut their deficit to 49-40 heading into the final frame
» Traylor pushed the Tech advantage to 51-41 before Tennessee ripped off a 6-0 run to prompt a VT timeout with 7:42 remaining
» The Lady Vols drew within one, 53-52, following a Jasmine Powell 3-pointer, but Traylor responded on the other end with the hoop and the harm
» Cayla King was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 4:24 showing on the clock; she converted all three tries at the line to extend Tech’s lead to 59-52
» Tennessee got no closer than seven points the rest of the way as the Hokies became the third ACC team to advance to the Elite Eight (Miami and Louisville)
Game Notes
» VT advances to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history, improving to 1-1 in its Sweet 16 appearances
» Tech’s other Sweet 16 appearance was also against Tennessee (1999)
» The Hokies improved to 4-8 against the Lady Vols all-time, including a 4-1 mark in their last five matchups
» VT moved to 12-11 in NCAA Tournament games (12 appearances)
» Tech is the only team in the Elite Eight that has not trailed in the NCAA Tournament this season
» The Hokies won their 14th consecutive game – their longest win streak since VT won 15 straight to open the Kenny Brooks era
» Tech earned its 30th victory of the season (program record)
» VT recorded its seventh win over an AP Top-25 team (program record)
» Tech is a No. 1 seed for the first time in program history
» Georgia Amoore topped the 20-point plateau for the 13th time this season, finishing with a career-high 29 points
» Elizabeth Kitley notched her 2,000th career point, delivering 12 points and eight rebounds
» Kenny Brooks improves to 4-2 in NCAA Tournament games at the helm of the Hokies
Up Next
» Tech will face No. 3 seed Ohio State, which knocked off No. 2 seed UConn 73-61 earlier in the day, on Monday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN in the Seattle Regional 3 final
» The Hokies won the only matchup in series history, 81-73, on Dec. 21, 2018 in the West Palm Invitational