GAMEDAY Womens Basketball

Virginia Tech 68, Miami 42

By AARON BEARD
AP Basketball Writer

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Elizabeth Kitley had 22 points and 10 rebounds to help eighth-ranked Virginia Tech beat Miami 68-42 in an Atlantic Coast Conference tournament quarterfinal round game.

Georgia Amoore added 16 points with five 3-pointers for the third-seeded Hokies (25-4), who took all drama out of this one quickly en route to their ninth straight win. Virginia Tech ran off 10 straight points to take a 20-5 lead after the first quarter, pushed that margin to 18 before halftime and led by as many as 33 late.

And the Hokies did it on a night when they didn't shoot particularly well, instead getting on the glass to get second-chance baskets to offset their own misses as the sixth-seeded Hurricanes (19-12) remained off-target.

The Hokies had never been to the semifinals before last season. Now, they're headed there for the second straight year to face No. 13 Duke.

Hanna Cavinder scored seven points to lead the Hurricanes, who made an unexpected run for their first trip to the title game last year. But they got off to a dreadful shooting start that turned into a game-long disaster in this one.

Miami finished the game shooting 24.1% (14 for 58), and could mount little pushback as Virginia Tech ran out of halftime with 10 straight points to blow the game open and lead 39-15 on Kitley's stick-back at the 5:22 mark of the third.

Virginia Tech shot 39.4% for the game, but finished with a 50-37 rebounding advantage that included 19 offensive rebounds for a 25-5 edge in second-chance points.

The 6-foot-6 Kitley, named the ACC player of the year for the second straight season earlier this week, finished 11 for 20 from the field. It marked her fifth straight double-double, all coming with at least 20 points, to go with four blocks.

BIG PICTURE

Miami: The Hurricanes entered the final week of the season having lost three of four, all by at least nine points. They had closed the schedule by beating Virginia and then beat Boston College in Thursday's second round, scoring 85 and 84 points, respectively, while shooting a combined 52%. But it was clear from the opening minutes that this would be different, with Miami making 2 of 17 shots in the opening quarter as the Hokies quickly built a big lead.

Virginia Tech: The Hokies haven't lost since falling Jan. 26 at now-No. 13 Duke. Along the way, they've shot 48.3% from the field and 38.8% from behind the arc, with both percentages good enough to rank in the top 10 nationally if projected for an entire season. The shooting didn't follow them to Greensboro for the opener, but their late-season surge continued all the same.

March 3, 2023