Cold Third Quarter Sinks Virginia Tech Women's Hoops In 80-70 Loss to Notre Dame

The Hokies toppled Notre Dame in South Bend to capture their eighth straight victory.

Virginia Tech guard Kayl Petersen (34) drives against Notre Dame guard Cassandre Prosper (8). | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame spoiled Virginia Tech head coach Megan Duffy’s return to Purcell Pavilion on Thursday night for the first time as a head coach, defeating the Hokies 80-70 and snapping their seven-game winning streak.

FINAL | Tech 70, Notre Dame 80 pic.twitter.com/YJxACAG2mY

— Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) February 6, 2026

Prior to Saturday's contest, the Hokies (18-6, 8-4 ACC) had not lost since Jan. 4, an 85-70 loss to then-No. 13 Louisville. In the time since, Virginia Tech had won six games by double-digits. After the first half, it appeared as if the Hokies would be en route to their eighth straight victory; Virginia Tech entered halftime with a 36-30 lead. However, in the third quarter, the Hokies allowed Notre Dame to scamper on a 25-15 run over the ensuing 10-minute stretch.

Included in that third frame was 10 turnovers. Five of those 10 miscues came from forward Kilah Freelon, who tallied eight turnovers across the entire game. The transfer forward tallied nine points and a team-high 13 rebounds, though, coming one point short of a double-double. Across the game, Virginia Tech committed 21 turnovers, off which Notre Dame logged 29 points. In contrast, Virginia Tech forced just seven Fighting Irish turnovers, scoring seven points off those miscues.

The Hokies' effort was anchored by 40 combined points from guard Carleigh Wenzel and forward Carys Baker, over half of Virginia Tech's 70-point output Saturday. Wenzel went 7-for-20 from the field, though she shot 2-for-10 in the second half after a 5-for-10 mark in the first 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, Baker went a stellar 8-for-13 from the field, aided by a 5-for-9 effort from deep, ending her day with a 21-point, seven-rebound performance against the Fighting Irish.

Wenzel logged 11 points in the first quarter on a 4-for-7 clip, enabling Virginia Tech to take a 21-14 lead heading into the second quarter. In that second frame, Virginia Tech shot 7-for-14 (50%) and restrained Notre Dame to a 6-for-18 (33%) clip, holding a 36-30 lead heading into the third quarter.

However, the third quarter was where things crashed and fell apart for the Hokies. Virginia Tech was outscored 25-15 in the third quarter, going 6-for-15 from the field while Notre Dame went 9-for-19 (47.4%). Despite the Hokies holding a 16-4 third-frame rebounding advantage, Virginia Tech couldn't convert those opportunities, logging only three second-chance points.

The more jarring stat was in points off turnovers. Notre Dame logged 19 points off Tech's 10 turnovers in the frame. How many points off turnovers did the Hokies log? Zero. Consequently, Virginia Tech trailed by four, 55-51, entering the final quarter of play.

"They turned it up," Duffy said to the team's play-by-play coordinator Evan Hughes on the Virginia Tech Sports Network. "Whether they were fouls or not, we just lost it a little bit. We needed our guard play to be just a little more sound, step up and hit some shots, and we just didn't do it. Give Notre Dame credit for just turning it up."

In the final frame, Notre Dame keyed in, going an adept 8-for-12 (75%) from the field. Still, the Hokies remained in the fight, knotting the contest at 66 after an and-one, plus the free throw, from guard Samyha Suffren. The sophomore reserve finished the contest with eight points on 2-of-7 shooting, also logging a career-high nine boards.

With 4:02 left in the final quarter, Virginia Tech snagged the lead away with a pair of free throws from Wenzel. However, the Hokies went ice-cold from then on, only hitting one of their last eight shots and going 1-for-11 over the final six minutes. Meanwhile, Notre Dame erupted on a 14-2 run to lift the game out of reach, handing the Hokies their first loss in 31 days.

Despite the defeat, Virginia Tech outperformed Notre Dame in several key areas of the contest, especially rebounding on. The Hokies outrebounded the Fighting Irish, 45-29, Thursday evening. Tech also gobbled up 14 offensive boards, double the total of Notre Dame (seven).

The Hokies also kept star Fighting Irish guard Hannah Hidalgo, a five-time ACC Player of the Week this year, in check from the field, holding her to a 4-for-21 mark. However, Hidalgo made her presence felt elsewhere, going a perfect 8-for-8 from the line. She also logged 16 points — her 90th consecutive game scoring in double figures — tacking on seven rebounds, five assists and six steals.

Rather, it was turnovers, steals and a superior effort from the foul line on Notre Dame's part that lifted it past the Hokies. As aforementioned, Virginia Tech committed 21 turnovers, triple the output of the Fighting Irish (7). The Hokies were also outscored 34-24 in the paint and 17-7 on fast-break points, though they logged a 9-4 advantage in second-chance points.

Notre Dame also outpaced Virginia Tech, 14-4, in steals, with Hidalgo's six swipes more than the entire Hokies team combined. The Fighting Irish also tallied an 18-of-19 (94.7%) mark from the stripe — Virginia Tech finished 8-for-11 from the line, good for a 72.7% clip — and produced six double-figure scorers to the Hokies' two.

Notre Dame only ran six-deep for the duration of the contest, with all its players scoring in double figures. Its effort was highly balanced, with no player scoring less than 11 or more than 16.

Virginia Tech has a challenging test awaiting it this coming Sunday; the Hokies will host N.C. State on Sunday, Feb. 8, at 12 p.m. ET. The contest will be available for viewing on the ACC Network.