Commanding start powers Virginia Tech through Radford
The Hokies were able to get off to a hot start early against the Highlanders in a 80-45 victory Sunday afternoon. Virginia Tech (7-2) held Radford to just four points in the first quarter, helping VT get out to a 22-4 lead at the end of the first.
Tech held Radford to shooting 2-13 from the field and 0-7 from downtown in that first quarter. Georgia Amoore was a big part of Tech’s victory, with 15 points and three blocks on the day.
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“We just really emphasize coming out hot and strong, and bringing the energy,” said Amoore. “Obviously it's important to bring energy every game. To be quite honest, [we] had a better attendance than I thought we were going to. We just knew that we had to bring our own energy and create it. I think that helps with us having a pretty good start.”
The Hokies were looking to bounce back after the disappointing 18-point loss to LSU on November 30th. They have done just that, with a combined margin of victory of 93 points in their last two wins against Long Island and Radford.
“I think that we’re learning and winning at the same time,” said Amoore. “And I think that’s really important. … At LSU we did not get out in transition, we did not push at all, we didn’t play with that aggression. I think these past two games, we’ve had a focus on that and feeling pretty well.”
Kenny Brooks has supported Amoore all season, instilling confidence in her and telling her to continue to push the ball even if no one else is running with her.
“She’s like a Ferrari,” said Brooks. “She wants to go, go, go. Beginning of the year, she was almost like a one man break, and no one was really running with her. And then we kind of stressed it, the last few weeks, that you know, she’s gonna run. She’s gonna run, and if you’re not running with her, then we’ll get somebody in the game that will run with her.”
Freshman Clara Strack has been another bright spot for the Hokies recently. With nine points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks on the day, she is continuing to grow and improve with more and more experience.
“Clara Strack continues to get better and we continue to get comfortable with her and what she’s able to do,” said Brooks. “I think she continues to get comfortable playing multiple positions. And it’s not just a situation where she’s gonna come in for Liz and Liz comes back in for her, you know, they’re playing alongside each other, so that takes a little bit of time to get used to.”
The Hokies will travel to New Jersey next Sunday to take on Rutgers at 5:30pm, as head coach Kenny Brooks will have a chance to get his 500th career win.
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