Kenny Brooks and Co. started the congested four-game homestand with a statement 85-62 victory over Boston College to bounce back into the win column on Sunday.
The Hokie faithful once again witnessed another stellar performance from Elizabeth Kitley, who recorded her first double-double since Jan. 18 with her game-high numbers of 27 points and 15 rebounds.
The Summerfield, N.C. native has had some sluggish shooting performances on the road, but in the Hokies first home game since Jan. 21, she recorded her fifth straight 20+ point outing in Cassell Coliseum.
Kitley wasn’t the only one who overcame a disappointing performance against Notre Dame on Feb. 2, as the backcourt of Georgia Amoore and Ashia Sheppard registered 14 and 12 points, respectively. These two were also key contributors from behind the arc, accounting for five of the six team three-pointers.
In the opening half of play, both teams were pretty balanced on the offensive end of the floor where the Hokies shot five percent better from the field in the first quarter followed by the Eagles shooting eight percent greater in the second frame.
But the key difference maker was how the Hokies were able to get to the free throw line. In the opening quarter, the Hokies shot six more free throws than the Eagles and converted a near perfect mark with 10 of 11 shooting.
In the second quarter, the Hokies had six more attempts than the visitors, and they went a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe.
Those numbers translated into the second half as the Hokies were successful on 13 of their 14 free throw attempts while the Eagles were held to only 7 of 12 from the line.
Finishing 31 of 33 from the line, the Hokies not only got to the line more efficiently than the Eagles, but also were significantly better once there making 93.9 percent compared to the Eagles’ 68.4 percent.
With the constant trips to the free throw line, the Hokies were also able to get more comfortable with their shot taking ability in the second half to help pull themselves away from the Eagles.
Coming out of the break, the Hokies shot an impressive 57.1 percent from the floor thanks to Kitley who had her break-out quarter with nine points after recording eight in the opening twenty minutes.
Improvement was still there for the Hokies as they ended the afternoon by shooting eight of 13 from the floor in the fourth quarter to put away the Eagles for good.
With a daunting February still laying ahead for the Hokies, this result was a comfortable way to improve to 8-3 in the ACC; the best start the program has had in the conference since they joined.
Starting their four-game, seven day homestand in stylish fashion, the Hokies look to stay perfect on home court in conference play when they welcome the Clemson Tigers on Tuesday, Feb. 8.
What was originally scheduled to be played on Jan. 16, inclement weather postponed the matchup to this upcoming Tuesday. At that time the Tigers were 0-5 to start ACC play, but they have improved slightly to a 2-10 conference record.
Despite being 0-7 at home during conference play, the Tigers are a much better road team with a 2-3 record which included wins at Wake Forest on Jan. 20 and a recent victory against Virginia on Feb. 6.
