RICHMOND, Va. — How do you win a game in which you make only eight first-half field goals?
The keys: Attempt 25 first-half free throws (and make 14). Outscore your opponent 47-36 in the final 20 minutes of hoops. And enjoy a first-of-its-kind performance from Virginia Tech center Jessica Dimaro.
The Hokies checked all three boxes in Wednesday's 77-66 victory over VCU at the Stuart C. Siegel Center, securing Megan Duffy's 200th career win as a head coach. But the story of Virginia Tech's first road victory of the season begins with Dimaro.
The 6-foot-4 Virginia Tech (4-0) center, who played in Japan and was born in Nigeria, finished with career highs in points (23) and rebounds (24) — the latter marked a new single-game program high — in Thursday’s 11-point win, tacking on two blocks for good measure.
“Jessie's a talent,” Duffy said. “... She set the tone with her offensive rebounds and just has a knack to find the ball. We needed it, especially early in that first half, just getting those second-chance points when we weren't flowing and missing a lot of shots. But those numbers are incredible.”
Dimaro already held a double-double within the game’s first 12 minutes, and she ended the first half with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Dimaro’s performance Thursday night broke the Hokies’ single-game records for offensive rebounds (17) and total rebounds (24) against the Rams (1-1). It’s the first 20-point, 20-rebound outing in program history – and her 24 rebounds were the second-most in a single game in ACC history.
Virginia Tech finished with a 52-27 advantage on the glass, which included an astounding 27-3 gap on offensive rebounds.
The previous records were 11 offensive boards (held by Utahya Drye in 2008-09) and 21 total rebounds (held by Elizabeth Kitley in 2020-21, plus three others).
Dimaro's dominance alone wasn't enough to put the Rams away, however, which brings us to the second key: the second half. Virginia Tech entered the third quarter in a 30-30 deadlock after the Rams made a 9-2 run over the final three minutes of the second frame to tie it at the half.
As mentioned above, Virginia Tech had made eight field goals in the first half, five of which were Dimaro’s. The first non-Dimaro field goal came at the 6:12 mark of the second quarter by way of a layup from forward Alyssa Latham.
Latham chipped in two of the other three, ending the first half with nine points (2-of-4 from field, 4-of-7 from free-throw line). The Tennessee transfer added 10 second-half points on 5-of-9 shooting to end the day with 19 points.
The Hokies’ quick six-point burst from the 9:00 to 7:36 marks of the third quarter gave them some breathing room — one Virginia Tech added on to with another 6-0 run over 72 seconds to the 5:11 mark of the third frame.
Tech outscored VCU 21-12 from the 9:00 to 1:00 marks of the third frame, anchored by guard Carleigh Wenzel’s 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Wenzel had missed her first eight shots from the field, though she rebounded to score 17 points on a 6-of-20 clip.
“I thought Carleigh made some big buckets for us, played like a veteran,” Duffy said. “So critical on the road to have that poise, to be able to knock down shots, get a big rebound or get a big defensive stop.”
Virginia Tech also limited VCU’s leading scorer, guard Macy Spencer, to a 3-of-17 clip from the field – including a 1-of-8 mark from 3-point range. Spencer was 1-for-14 over the first three quarters.
And the third key: The Hokies kept serve with VCU in the opening minutes by way of the charity stripe. Latham and Dimaro combined for 15 first-half free throw attempts, with Dimaro’s 10 offensive rebounds in the first 20 minutes keeping the Hokies in front. Despite shooting 25.8% (8-for-31) from the field and 0-for-6 from 3-point range, Virginia Tech totaled 14 free-throw makes to VCU’s four.
The Hokies went on a pair of 7-0 runs from the 8:15-5:39 and 2:16-0:44 marks of the first quarter — though it did it largely without field goals. Those two stretches included eight free throws and three layups. The Hokies didn’t knock down a 3-pointer until Wenzel splashed one off the feed from guard Leila Wells with 1:52 left in the third quarter.
That 3-pointer was the start of a seven-point run over 55 seconds that boosted Tech’s lead to 55-45. The Hokies entered the final frame with a 55-47 lead and were solid from then on, claiming a win in their first road contest of the year.
In addition to Wenzel, Latham and Dimaro, guard Samyha Suffren hauled in seven rebounds and added eight points — though she was 2-of-11 from the field. Guard Kate Sears was 0-for-5 from the field and did not score, though she tacked on four assists. Forward Aniya Trent chipped in four points and a career-high 10 rebounds, while guard Leila Wells had a four-point, four-assist evening.
"I don't think that any of our guards made too many shots in the first half, so we just tried to reset ourselves at halftime and just say, 'Hey, if we're moving the ball, let it fly, be confident," Duffy said. "... Leila had a couple big buckets for us. Then late in the game, Samyha, who struggled a little bit, hit a big three and a big pull-up. So, sometimes, it's not what the ending numbers look like — it's the timing of it."
VCU’s offense primarily through Spencer, who finished with 17 shots, but five Rams scored in double figures. Freshman forward Nicole Torresani recorded 17 points and four rebounds, while fellow freshman Alexis Riggs added 11 points and six rebounds, shooting 4-of-5 from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Guard Ada Toribio chipped in 10 points and six assists but committed six turnovers against Virginia Tech’s defense. The Rams finished with 20 turnovers, nearly double the Hokies’ 11.
VCU shot 57.1% (12-of-21) from the field in the second half, but Virginia Tech's dominance on the offensive glass made that efficiency largely irrelevant. The Hokies attempted 45 second-half shots to the Rams' 21, fueled by a 14-0 advantage in offensive rebounds.
Even as VCU found its shooting touch, Tech's ability to generate extra possessions prevented the Rams from mounting a comeback. The Hokies opened the fourth quarter on a 7-2 run that gave them a 64-49 advantage at the media timeout and from there, it was smooth sailing en route to a 77-66 victory.
The Hokies return home to Cassell Coliseum on Sunday, Nov. 15, to host La Salle. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. ET on ACC Network Extra. The Explorers (1-2) lost to Rutgers 75-62 to open their season before splitting their next two with Loyola Maryland (69-61 win) and Temple (89-67 loss).
