Virginia Tech (6-2) ended their two-game skid with a 78-67 win against Oregon State (5-3) in the third-place game at the Paradise Jam tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
After back-to-back losses, the Hokies pushed the pace and outraced the Beavers, shooting 29-60 (48%) after not getting over 35% the last two games.
In the first quarter, the Hokies got back into an up-tempo offense and got their shots to fall, going 9-16 (56%), as Mel Daley led the team with eight points. VT claimed a 26-14 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Mel Daley's 18-point first-half performance fueled the Hokies' offensive surge. She shot 7-8 (87%) from the field and made all four free throws. Daley finished the game with a team-leading 24 points at an 83% clip, one game after reaching 1,000 career points. Tech's early lead helped them to maintain control throughout the first half, with a 44-33 edge at the halfway point.
In the second half, Virginia Tech pushed the game to a 55-35 lead at the 5:25 minute mark in the third quarter with Carleigh Wenzel’s two made free throws. She also led the Hokies in the third frame with nine points, taking a 62-50 lead into the final frame.
While the Hokies never trailed in this game, it didn’t go without a scare from the Beavers in the second half. Oregon State cut the deficit to three points in the fourth quarter, thanks to guard Jenna Villa, who rattled off seven-straight points to make it 62-59 with 7:25 left in the game.
Virginia Tech would silence the comeback, behind Baker’s 12 points in the remaining time including back-to-back threes to help Virginia Tech cruise through the final minutes.
After Mel Daley’s 24-point performance, Carys Baker had a 20-piece of her own, going 8-13 (61%) from the field with three 3-pointers along with seven boards. Daley and Baker combined for more than half of the team’s total with 44 points. Only four other Hokies tallied points in this game: Wenzel, Nelson, Kilah Freelon, and Leila Wells. Wenzel was the only other player to find the double-digit mark with 13 points.
The Hokies found the up-tempo rhythm to be the effective attack they had been striving for in the early season. The Hokies ended with 19 fast break points and 21 assists from 29 buckets. The defense did a good job of helping the offense to find its flow and have some runs to widen the margin, as the Beavers only shot 24-66 (36%) from the field in the game.
Virginia Tech’s win was an important result to end their time at the Paradise Jam after consecutive losses at JMU and to BYU on Thursday at the Paradise Jam. The Hokies are back in Cassell Coliseum next as they take on Florida in the ACC/SEC challenge this Thursday.
