It was a nailbiter all the way in Chapel Hill on Sunday when the No. 17 Hokies took on the No. 24 Tar Heels in a highly anticipated matchup. Virginia Tech was looking to notch their fifth consecutive win, while North Carolina was hoping to avoid a three game skid.
In the end, the Hokies took a 70-61 contest whose final score belied the competitive outing.
The game started as an offensive struggle for both teams. Midway through the first quarter, the score was only a 7-4 Hokie advantage. North Carolina did not score a field goal until 5:10 was left in the first.
The Heels ended up going on a 9-0 run, only for the Hokies to answer with two threes from Georgia Amoore and Carleigh Wenzel. At the end of one, Tech held on to a 15-12 lead.
In the second quarter, there was even less scoring than there was in the first, as the Hokies shot 1-7 from three and 5-16 from the field. The Heels weren’t able to find the bottom of the net either, only going 3-13.
Tech possessed a 26-20 lead at the break after Matilda Ekh knocked down a mid-range shot at the buzzer. The two ranked squads were only a combined 18-60 from the floor at halftime.
The Tar Heels came out of half with high energy and were firing on all cylinders. With 3:54 to go in the period, they had outscored the 17th ranked Hokies 13-4. Senior Deja Kelly began to get sharp, scoring nine points in the third.
After a pair of free throws from Amoore, Tech was able to get the game settled and back down to a 39-39 draw with an intense 4th quarter looming ahead.
The Hokies and the Heels went back and forth in the 4th, trading baskets and clutch defensive plays. After a three from Amoore and a few tough scores from Kitley, Tech had a 54-50 lead with 2:03 left.
North Carolina would not go away, as Senior Alyssa Ustby, who finished with 10 points and 16 rebounds, got a hook shot to go with 1:45 remaining.
With 41 seconds to go, Tech had possession and was looking to extend their lead to two scores. North Carolina switched to a 2-3 zone, and Lexi Donarski stole the ball from Amoore. Indya Nivar got a contested layup to fall in transition, tying the game up at 54 with 36 seconds left.
Cayla King missed a three with six seconds left, and Ustby began to rush down the floor to try to hit a shot at the buzzer. Near halfcourt, Amoore was the last line of defense, and was able to get in front of Ustby, drawing a charge to give the Hokies possession with 1.5 seconds to go.
Amoore was unable to hit a tough running three point attempt at the buzzer, and the game would head to overtime.
The Hokies found a way to pull away in extra time, outscoring the Heels 16-7 in overtime. Matilda Ekh hit a pair of clutch threes, while Amoore also got one to fall from downtown and went 4-6 from the line.
Tech ended up winning the game 70-61, getting their fifth win in a row and their second consecutive win against a ranked opponent.
North Carolina’s Deja Kelly finished with 26 points and seven rebounds, but her strong effort wasn’t enough to knock off the Hokies.
Amoore concluded with 21 points and 11 assists. Liz Kitley, who struggled at times Sunday, still came away with 15 points and crashed the boards with 15 rebounds. Ekh had 14 points and eight assists, with six of those 14 points coming in overtime.
After coming back home to Blacksburg, The Hokies will be back in North Carolina on Thursday, this time playing No. 5 NC State in a rematch on Thursday evening at 8pm on ACC Network.
The last matchup between the two imposing teams did not disappoint, as Kitley hit a layup at the buzzer off an inbound pass from Cayla King to win the game 63-62.
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