The No. 19 Virginia Tech Hokies traveled up the east coast to New York to take on the No. 22 Syracuse Orange. Aside from NC State, the Orange would be one of the toughest ACC opponents that the Hokies have faced so far this season. Playing in the JMA Wireless Dome is a tough task. On top of the iconic dome, going against a player such as a First Team All-ACC & All-ACC Defensive Team like Dyaisha Fair is also a hard pill to swallow. The Senior guard has been lifting Syracuse above and beyond, averaging over 20 points for the Orange. Even with all of these tough factors in place, the Hokies came out victorious, 75-62.
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The Hokies were back on a winning mindset after beating Clemson and Georgia Tech after losing the previous two ACC matchups to, at the time No. 21 Florida State, and Duke. Senior guard Georgia Amoore returned to the Hokies lineup last Thursday against Georgia Tech after missing the back half of the game against Duke, and the entire game against Clemson.
In Amoore’s first game back last Thursday, she finished with 24 points and 13 assists. On top of this stellar stat line, the senior took care of the ball well as the Hokies only had 6 turnovers overall. The Australian guard picked up right where she left off, and dropped 13 of Virginia Tech’s 23 first quarter points, giving the maroon and orange a 23-9 lead to close out the first quarter. Amoore would end her afternoon with 29 points, as well as shooting a perfect 6-6 from the line.
Heading into the second quarter, Syracuse narrowed the deficit to just four, 36-32. The senior guard duo between Dyaisha Fair and Alaina Rice contributed to this Syracuse run. The Hokie offense was put to a halt, especially veteran Liz Kitley. The All-American was held to just two points at the half on 1-9 shooting. But with that in mind, it was important for Coach Brooks’ Hokies to find other ways to score. They did just that, moving the ball all around and hitting key three pointers to open the second half.
Michigan State transfer Matilda Ekh was a big key to this Hokies victory. The Swedish native shot 4-7 beyond the arc, giving this Virginia Tech offense some life. Syracuse was never able to cut the lead down in their favor for the remainder of the fourth quarter. After various strong efforts from guards Georgia Woolley and Dyaisha Fair, it was not enough as the Orange would lose their first game at home this season.
The Hokies return to Cassell Coliseum to take on the University of Virginia in a state rivalry matchup. The Cavaliers recently upset No. 20 North Carolina 81-66, and look to keep that fire in their gut heading into Blacksburg. It should be a game to remember for these two programs.
The game tips off at 6 p.m. Feb. 1 on the ACC Network.
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