Three Takeaways from Virginia Tech Women's Basketball's 77-57 Win Over Syracuse

The Hokies improved to 2-3 in conference action.

Virginia Tech Athletics

The Hokies dominated in a 20-point win over ACC rival Syracuse Thursday, improving to 2-3 in ACC play.

Got it done! ✔️ pic.twitter.com/1naiFu8hZb

— Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) January 9, 2026

Syracuse got off to a hot start with a layup from Laila Phelia in the first minute of play. However, the Hokies pulled ahead in the second quarter and didn’t look back.

No. 1: Virginia Tech snatched an important Quad 1 win.

After some struggles against conference opponents, the Hokies committed a huge upset against the No. 6 team in the ACC. Heading into this match it appeared all odds were against Virginia Tech. The Hokies were coming off a battering loss to the No. 1 squad in the ACC in Louisville, away from their fans at Cassell Coliseum and facing a tough match against one of the conferences’ top contenders. Yet, the Hokies prevailed this time around, addressing many of the shortcomings in their game play against Louisville. One of the most prominent differences being their performance from the three-point line.

No. 2: Carleigh Wenzel dominated from beyond the arc.

Wenzel went four-for-four from the three last night contributing to a 66.7 percent team performance from beyond the arc. The effort marked a huge improvement from deep in the field after the Hokies’ most recent struggles from the three-point line against Louisville, where the team missed all 16 of their looks. Last night also marked a team-high 18 points for Wenzel, her most since Nov. 27, vs. BYU. The junior sports a 31.3% rate from the arc across 17 starts this season, sitting just behind foCarys Baker for the team high. Both Wenzel and Baker emerged as leaders on the court with each recording a team high six rebounds.

No. 3. The Hokies shined on the glass.

Not only is Syracuse one of the toughest teams in the ACC, they also entered the contest with second-most offensive rebounds per game in the country. Opportunities off the glass have been a huge factor in the Orange’s success throughout the season. However, the Hokies matched Syracuse with 39 total rebounds, and outperformed them on the defensive end, 26-24. 

Virginia Tech returns to Cassell Coliseum on Sunday, Jan. 11, to take on Boston College. The Eagles have yet to record a conference win and will look to pick up an upset win of their own as the Hokies hope to continue on their road of success.

Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan. 11; the game will be available on the ACC Network.