The Hokies tipped off 2022 in successful fashion on Sunday as they took down Wake Forest 66-53 in Winston-Salem, to start 3-0 in ACC play for the first time in program history.
In their third conference game of the season, it was Elizabeth Kitley's third double-double of conference play as she recorded 13 points and a team-high 18 rebounds. The Summerfield, N.C. native also swatted five Wake Forest shot attempts to record her highest block total in a single game since her five blocks against UT-Martin on Nov. 27, 2021.
Four Hokie starters recorded in double figures in points with Aisha Sheppard and Kayana Traylor leading the way with 15 points each.
Both guards had a significant impact on the court as they led all Hokies in +/- with Traylor’s +17 having a slight edge over Sheppard’s +16.
In her second consecutive start, Traylor made her impact by shooting at an efficient five of 10 from the floor and contributing two steals of her own.
In what was another successful road trip for Kenny Brooks and Co. it was another fast start that got the Hokies rolling. The visitors had an immediate impact at LJVM Stadium where the Hokies jumped out to a 12-0 start, putting the Demon Deacons on their heels in the opening four minutes of the contest.
In addition to the quick impact, the Hokies shot 57.1 percent from the field and three of three from deep, which gave themselves a 19-12 advantage after ten minutes of play.
Sheppard really found her stride during the opening frame where she recorded eight points in around two minutes. With her two three-pointers, she has now surpassed 350 made three-pointers in her collegiate career and sits second in the all-time conference ranks.
The odd quarters seemed to favor the Hokies more in the afternoon where in the first and third quarters, they shot over 50 percent from the floor. But in the even quarters, the Hokies significantly struggled with shooting just above the 20 percent mark.
After an extremely successful first quarter, the Hokies only made three baskets in the second quarter. Now even though that sounds like poor news for the Hokies, the bright side was that each of those baskets were a three-point basket.
When the offense was dealing with their hardships, the defense made a great effort to shut down the Demon Deacons from the floor. There wasn’t a single quarter in the game where Wake Forest outscored the Hokies and shot above 50 percent from the floor.
After some stretches in the second quarter where the Demon Deacons brought the game within five points, the Hokies pulled away in the second half and didn’t trail at any point of the contest.
Now that the Hokies have had a nice 3-0 start in conference play after a shaky non-conference slate, the Hokies will look forward to a rivalry matchup on Thursday as they are slated to host Virginia in Cassell Coliseum.
