Hokies WBB Falls to 1-3 in ACC After Loss to No. 13 Louisville

Louisville Dominates the Hokies

This past Sunday, January 4^th, the Virginia Tech Hokies dropped their second consecutive game to the No. 13 Louisville Cardinals. Coming into this contest, the Hokies were 11-4 overall and 1-2 to begin ACC play. The first four games of ACC play for the Hokies have been challenging since losing their third conference game to Louisville. After folding to the Miami Hurricanes in overtime on New Year's Day, the Hokies were left rattled and looking to find their footing again since extending their two-game losing streak. This matchup with the Cards proved to be a testament to what the Hokies’ greatest flaws are, but also strengths.

Virginia Tech held their only lead of the game with the opening basket but never earned it back. The Cardinals raced out to an early lead that grew to a whopping 31 points midway through the third quarter. It appeared that the Hokies never found a true rhythm against the Cards, perhaps due to the outstanding attendance of Louisville fans. Almost 10,000 fans attended the matchup hosted in KFC Yum! Center, allowing for an electrifying environment and an overwhelming homecourt advantage for the Cardinals. Alongside this dictating atmosphere, Louisville was able to take advantage of Virginia Tech’s cold shooting while also forcing turnovers. There never seemed to be a major click in the Hokies’ offense as they began the game with a field-goal percentage under 30%. That said, Virginia Tech was able to run close with Louisville in terms of points from turnovers, fast breaks, and second chance buckets.

Statistical Breakdown

Although the Hokies held a record of nearly four years without losing to the Cards, they were unsuccessful in topping Laura Ziegler’s 18 points and Imari Berry’s 13 points, with a final score of 60-85. Despite the loss, Virginia Tech’s Carys Baker lead the team with 16 points alongside Samyha Suffren with an additional 14 points and 0 turnovers. Suffren continues to play with a chip on her shoulder as she leads Virginia Tech in steals per game (2.1). Her leadership in this matchup against Louisville was on full display through her 0 turnovers and 3 steals. Regardless of their many efforts, none of the participating Hokies in this matchup finished with a positive plus-minus rating. Specifically, Virginia Tech’s redshirt junior Carleigh Wenzel was one who struggled the most as she averaged 13 points before this contest, only putting up 5 points for the Hokies. To start the season, Wenzel turned in numerous double-digit scoring games, including two 20-point games and one double-double. Will she be able to find her groove to lead Virginia Tech down the road?

The Hokies suffered from deep, shooting 0/16 against the Cards from beyond the arc. Head Coach Megan Duffy expressed the team’s need to connect from deep going forward into the season, especially in ACC play. Duffy noted postgame, “That's a really challenging stat. I mean, we look at those numbers, and sometimes, you're going to take a couple bad three off of a late shot clock or contested shots. But I thought a lot of them, when we moved it, we had pretty good looks and were not able to hit them.” The Hokies find themselves bouncing around this season in terms of their three-point percentage. In the last five games, the team’s average sits around 27%. Will the Hokies be able to make a turnaround, not only in their shooting beyond the arc, but also in their conference play? Only time will tell as Virginia Tech travels to play Syracuse for their matchup January 8^th.

Weekly Outlook: Thursday at Syracuse

Looking forward, the Hokies find themselves playing at Syracuse on Thursday, before returning home to Cassell Coliseum to host Boston College the following Sunday. In their first four games against conference opponents, the Syracuse Orange sit at 3-1 and ranked No. 5 in the ACC. This upcoming contest with the Orange will be interesting for the Hokies as Syracuse is also a team struggling beyond the arc shooting approximately 27% from three. A player to watch for the Syracuse Orange is Uche Izoje, a 6’3” center that will match up well with the Hokies’ 6’1” Kilah Freelon. Izoje is averaging 13.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game thus far for the Orange, a comparable stat line to Freelon’s 9.4 points and 8.5 rebounds. Heading into this matchup, the x-factor for the Hokies may be 6’3” forward, Aniya Trent. Despite averaging just over 2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, Virginia Tech has frequently turned to Trent when outsized by opposing teams. The Hokies will look to end their losing streak and pick up another conference win on the road.