Virginia Tech Falls 85-68 To No. 16 North Carolina in ACC Tournament Quarterfinals

Virginia Tech women's basketball was stung by an insipid second quarter and couldn't overcome that stumble, falling in the quarterfinals to No. 16 — and the ACC's third seed — North Carolina, 85-68. As a result, the Hokies are now eliminated from the ACC Tournament, though their March Madness standing is relatively secure.

"Congratulations to North Carolina," said Hokies head coach Megan Duffy. "I thought they played a tremendous game. For quarters 2 through 4, they were relentless from their paint scorers to hitting timely threes. You watch the body of work they've done in the league and gotten better as the season has gone on. They've done a great job. A little bit disappointed with our overall performance today, but a lot of positive comments in the locker room."

Final from Gas South Arena. pic.twitter.com/E8F7qD7bDF
— Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) March 7, 2026

Though Virginia Tech was stout in the first, third and fourth quarters, outscoring the Tar Heels by a narrow 57-56 margin, it collapsed in the second quarter. Entering that frame, the Hokies had collected a 16-11 lead despite only making two of their first 11 shots.

But in the second frame, Virginia Tech collapsed. The Hokies made just three of their 15 shots, while North Carolina was 9-for-16 from the field. The final second-quarter margin was 29-11, North Carolina. Despite trailing by 13 at the half., Virginia Tech rallied in the second half, though it could never draw within two possessions.

"I felt like we were making a couple of adjustments and couldn't quite get the stop," Duffy said. "I thought our team was extremely engaged with trying to get that 13 down to single digits and make a last push.I don't know if their first day playing versus our second, who knows. But they had the advantage with their attack mode, and was able to blow it out with just some incredible plays on the offensive end by them."

Wenzel was a key proponent of Tech even being in the fight. Though she went 0-for-6 from three-point land, she countered it with a 6-for-11 mark inside the arc. Moreover, she went a stellar 14-of-15 from the free-throw line, bringing her point total up to 26 on the game. It was Wenzel's second time in the last three games scoring over 25 points. The redshirt junior guard poured in a career-high 29 points in Virginia Tech's regular-season finale victory over Virginia March 1.

Though Wenzel took an elbow shot that appeared to be right above the hip, she returned to action, anchoring Tech's offense amid a turbulent day from the field. Guard Mackenzie Nelson also continued her strong effort; the redshirt sophomore went 4-for-9 from the field for nine points, adding on six assists and three rebounds.

But Virginia Tech's struggles were felt most from beyond the arc. The Hokies only cashed in on two of their 18 three-point looks; in contrast, North Carolina knocked down seven of their 17 looks from beyond the arc. Wenzel and forward Carys Baker combined for a 0-for-10 clip from beyond the arc.

"I think we were just tentative," Wenzel said. "I don't think that they were really pushing up as much on the three-point line. I felt like they were there. Again, it just wasn't falling. I know I can't speak for everybody, but I know me specifically, they felt good, but they just weren't going in."

Baker was ineffective against North Carolina, restrained to a 1-for-8 mark from the field and just three total points. Though Baker grabbed eight rebounds, the Tar Heels neutralized one of Virginia Tech's most potent scoring options, rendering the Hokies a step more one-dimensional. Wenzel was the only Hokie to score in double-figures.

Meanwhile, four Tar Heels logged double-figure points, with three scoring 18 or more. that charge was led by guard Lanie Grant, who went 8-for-12 for 21 points. Nyla Harris also shined with a double-double, producing 19 points and 10 rebounds on 8-of-11 shooting.

Then, there was fellow guard Elina Aarnisalo, who tacked on an additional 18 points, five rebounds and six assists on a 7-for-14 clip from the field.

Virginia Tech (23-8, 12-6 ACC)
No. 16 UNC (25-6, 14-4 ACC)

Simply put, Virginia Tech looked a step behind the Tar heels in many facets of the game. North Carolina possessed a convincing 48-30 points advantage in the paint while outrebounding the Hokies 39-35. Moreover, the Tar Heels held Virginia Tech to 13 points off turnovers despite committing 14 giveaways.

But most importantly, North Carolina was calm, cool and collected throughout the majority of its 40-minute stint on the court. In the second quarter, while Virginia Tech went 3-for-15 (20%), the Tar Heels went 9-for-16 from the field, pairing it with a 3-for-8 (37.5%) clip from beyond the arc and an 8-for-10 tally at the stripe.

That trend continued in the third and fourth periods, where North Carolina went 9-for-13 (69.2%) and 10-for-18 (55.6%), respectively.

"The physicality felt the same [as the last game vs. UNC on Feb. 19]," Wenzel said. "It's just plays we needed to make on our end. We got the shots we wanted, they just kind of didn't fall. We tried to stay together in the time-outs, tried to stick with it, tried to keep getting downhill, take your shots and take them confidently, and it just wasn't falling as much as we wanted it to."

Virginia Tech now awaits Selection Sunday, which will occur on Saturday, March 15 at 8 p.m. ET. The bracket will be revealed on ESPN.