The Virginia Tech Hokies (16-8, 7-6 ACC) marched into John Paul Jones Arena and knocked the Virginia Cavaliers (12-12, 4-9 ACC) in the second edition of the Commonwealth Clash by a score of 87-62 in favor of the Hokies.
A season high 12 three-pointers, on 63% shooting from beyond the arc plus 26 assists on 31 made baskets helped Tech secure a 25-point victory over its in state rivals.
From the opening tip, it could not have felt like a more comfortable performance from the Hokies, who quickly went on a 12-2 run to take an early 18-9 lead over the Cavaliers.
Tech guard Matilda Ekh led the way for the Hokies in the first quarter, tallying nine points on 3-4 shots from the field, burying a triple and two jumpers, as well as knocking down a pair of free throws.
Ekh’s performance quickly lifted the team's confidence and kept a competitive atmosphere around her teammates, especially her fellow guard, Careligh Wenzel.
Wenzel finished the opening ten minutes of play shooting 0-3 from the field, including an airball where the fans in JPJ let her hear it early in the contest. Yet, while Wenzel couldn't find the bottom of the net, she still found ways to contribute, dishing out two assists, both to Ekh, in back-to-back possessions for Tech.
The talented guard is from San Antonio, TX., allowed her confidence as floor general in the first quarter to transition to her shooting in the second, as she opened up the scoring for Tech in quarter number two with an aggressive drive to the basket, resulting in an and-one layup, which she converted.
She entered the half with seven points to match her seven assists, five of which she picked up in the second quarter and two of which found Carys Baker for three. Baker was lights out from long range in the second quarter. After burying her first attempt near the halfway point in the first quarter, Baker connected three more times consecutively from deep, shooting a perfect 4-4 from three in the opening half.
Baker made her presence known early against the Cavaliers, not only recording 12 points at the half but tallying four rebounds and four assists to her already impressive day. In the absence of Tech starting center Rose Micheaux, Baker has stepped up in a massive way in the past two contests against UVA and Syracuse.
On Wednesday against the Orange, she recorded a 24-point, nine-rebound and two-assist performance in an unexpected loss to Syracuse. She followed it up with 17 points, nine rebounds, and a career-high six assists against UVA just a few days later.
Yet, she was not the only Tech starte to finish the contest in double figure scoring. Wenzel (15), Ekh (17) and Lani White (15) all joined Baker with 10+ points, and Kayl Petersen, who captured her second career start in the place of Micheaux, was one shy with nine points.
The Hokies looked impressively strong without Micheaux on the floor, and even with their loss to Syracuse, proved why they are still right in the thick of NCAA Tournament contention.
Tech’s next game will be at the No. 13 North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday, February 13, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
