The Associated Press reported.

On Sunday, No. 8 Virginia Tech beat North Carolina with a score of 74-62, thanks to Elizabeth Kitley’s impressive 34-point performance. This win marked their 10th in a row and secured them at least a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference title, a first for the program.

Kitley made 11 out of 17 shots, went 12 for 14 from the free-throw line, and collected eight rebounds for the Hokies (23-4, 14-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). This secured the top seed for the Hokies in the ACC Tournament. Syracuse and North Carolina State still have a chance to tie for the regular-season title with the Hokies, but they must win all their remaining games and hope that Virginia Tech loses.

Kitley expressed her excitement, stating that with only two regular-season games remaining, the team is not getting ahead of themselves. They had set a goal at the beginning of the season to position themselves well for both the ACC and NCAA Tournaments. The team’s strong performance in the past month and a half has contributed to achieving this goal.

Deja Kelly scored 29 points and was the top performer for the Tar Heels (18-10, 10-6). This defeat put an end to North Carolina’s three-game winning streak.

The Hokies, fueled by the energy of yet another sold-out crowd (their fifth of the season), overcame an early deficit with a dominant 21-2 run in the first quarter. Elizabeth Kitley contributed six points during the run, while Matilda Ekh drained back-to-back 3-pointers to end the quarter and give the Hokies a commanding 16-point lead.

In the third quarter, North Carolina narrowed the gap to 35-30 after Lexi Donarski’s 3-pointer at the 9:19 mark. However, Virginia Tech’s Georgia Amoore dominated with 14 out of her 19 points in the third, including a pullup 3-pointer before the buzzer, extending the Hokies’ lead to 57-47. Eventually, the Hokies increased their lead to 19 points and secured the win.

With less than a minute left, Coach Kenny Brooks of Virginia Tech made a substitution, replacing players Elizabeth Kitley, Cayla King, and Georgia Amoore, who have helped elevate the team to one of the top in the ACC, alongside transfer player Olivia Summiel. Kitley, King, and Summiel were playing their final regular-season game at home, while Amoore may potentially return for another season.

Brooks stated that it’s one thing for others to believe in his vision and agree to follow it, but it takes effort on their part to turn it into reality.

I have never encountered a group of individuals who are as dedicated and hardworking as these. They not only shared my vision, but they also had more faith in it than I did. They put in endless hours of work, and the outcome is that they now believe they can compete with anyone.

Ekh scored 11 points for the Hokies. Donarski contributed 10 points for the Tar Heels, who had a higher score in the paint (22-18), from turnovers (14-4), and from the bench (13-5) compared to Virginia Tech. However, the Hokies were able to shoot at a 52.9% accuracy (27 out of 51 shots).

North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart stated that while the subtle details can be analyzed, watching Georgia Amoore and Elizabeth Kitley was enjoyable. She also addressed the notion that the team’s defense was lacking, emphasizing the talent and difficulty of guarding these two players. She believes that they were still able to defend them effectively, but acknowledges the skill of Amoore and Kitley.

TAKEAWAYS

The Tar Heels of North Carolina have been continuously unlucky in their matches against the Hokies. They have suffered six straight defeats to Virginia Tech, with five of those losses being decided by five points or less, or in overtime.

Virginia Tech continues their trend of performing well at the end of the season, with a record of 14-0 in February for the second consecutive year.

AMOORE SETS MARK

Amoore ended the game with 11 assists, making her the top performer in that aspect in the history of the program. She now has a total of 636 assists, surpassing Lisa Witherspoon’s record of 635 assists from 1995 to 1999.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

In the worst case scenario, Virginia Tech will maintain their position in the top 10 for another week and may even climb a spot or two in the poll on Monday.
UP NEXT

On Thursday, North Carolina will play against Boston College.

On Thursday, Virginia Tech will play against No. 19 Notre Dame.
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Source: wralsportsfan.com