Three Takeaways From Virginia Tech Women's Basketball's Win Over Loyola MD

Josh Poslusny breaks down five takeaways from Virginia Tech's 64-48 win over Loyola MD.

Carleigh Wenzel Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech women's basketball took down Loyola Maryland for its second straight win in a 64-48 triumph. Here are three takeaways from the contest.

Add another one to the win column! ✅ pic.twitter.com/FOQ8ijEeVa

— Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) November 9, 2025

No. 1: This team struggled against physicality

Virginia Tech struggled mightily overall when it came to the physicality of this Loyola-Maryland team. It felt like they were consistently sloppy and unprepared for the force that they brought, especially on the defensive end.

"I think we knew [they would be physical]," Duffy said postgame. "Especially 10 and 11 inside... it kind of got a little bit contagious by the other ones. You know, just being physical. I thought 12 did a really good job, too."

A lot of Loyola's physicality was met with foul calls - they were called for 27 in the game. That helped with it a ton, but when the Greyhounds were cleanly physical, the Hokies seemed to have a lot of trouble scoring the ball.

The physicality also ran the Hokies off of the three point line a lot in the second half, taking just three shots from beyond the arch compared to 12 in the first half, and it definitely helped Loyola's defensive production, as most of the Hokies turnovers came in the second half. They also scored less in the second half compared to the first.

No. 2: Mackenzie Nelson is a true point guard

Mackenzie Nelson had a spectacular game today. She had 11 assists and just three turnovers.

"I felt like she had about 20," Duffy said post game. "Mackey's been steady for us. Her pace has been good, she's finding people. One of the things we've talked about with her this season is point production. Sometimes she's gonna have a lower scoring night, but have 11 assists and then vice versa.

Mackie Nelson looked like a true point guard today, and that is something that a lot of teams won't focus on, but Duffy has, and she has a stellar point guard.

No. 3: There are good takeaways from this

Tech shot 21-of-53 from the field at just 39.6%. They also shot poorly from beyond the arch at just 4-for-15. It was just an odd game. As was previously mentioned, they were crowded and ran off the three point line in the second half.

While it may seem like there aren't any great takeaways from this outing, every team will play bad games, and it's good to get one of them out of your system against a bad team. The Hokies found a way to win a game where they shot less than 50% true shooting.

They found ways to manufacture runs and keep the Greyhounds at arms length all day, never really raising worry about a potential upset. The ability to be able to win these difficult games against a physical team can play dividends down the stretch.