Virginia Tech Women's Basketball Cedes Second Straight Contest To Open Paradise Jam

The Hokies narrowly lost by four to undefeated BYU.

Virginia Tech Athletics

Virginia Tech women’s basketball dropped its second straight game Saturday evening, falling 64-60 to undefeated BYU in its opening matchup of the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

FINAL | Virginia Tech 60, BYU 64

— Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) November 28, 2025

Virginia Tech (5-2) struggled to generate rhythm from three-point range, finishing 5-for-21 from beyond the arc, a particularly relevant statistic given how reliant Tech became on guard Carleigh Wenzel’s perimeter production. Wenzel attempted 13 of the team’s 21 triples and supplied a season-high four of the team's five makes, providing the bulk of Tech’s long-range threat. Outside of her, the Hokies knocked just one three-pointer all evening.

Wenzel tallied a plus/minus of three against the Cougars (7-0), the second-highest of any Hokie that played over five minutes.

The inconsistent perimeter shooting placed added pressure on Tech’s frontcourt to compete on the interior, and Texas Tech transfer forward Kilah Freelon answered with perhaps the most impactful defensive effort of the night. Freelon recorded 14 rebounds and a career-high five blocks, continuing a two-game surge in which she has totaled eight rejections.

Her activity on the glass kept Virginia Tech in several crucial stretches, even as the offense struggled to string together quality possessions. Though she finished 1-for-5 from the field, her presence stabilized a lineup searching for reliable secondary scoring.

Tech held BYU without a point for more than three minutes in the first quarter and forced early hesitation from the Cougars’ guards. However, the Hokies were unable to fully capitalize on the stop-heavy sequence. BYU stole back the momentum just before the buzzer, scoring on a last-second layup by forward Bolanle Yussuf to snag a 13–12 lead, heading into the second quarter.

The second frame followed a similar pattern. Virginia Tech’s halfcourt defense continued to frustrate BYU, limiting the Cougars to 10 points and contesting most of their attempts inside the arc. The Hokies forced seven BYU turnovers in the period and repeatedly cut off driving lanes, using their activity to keep the game within one or two possessions throughout much of the quarter. Guard Mel Daley supplied a steadying offensive presence during the stretch, pushing herself past the 1,000-point career mark, an individual highlight amid an otherwise small-margin defensive struggle. In total, Daley finished with a season-high in both points (16) and steals (four).

Even with the defensive success, Tech’s shooting inconsistencies lingered into the second half. Those issues became most noticeable in the third quarter, when the Hokies posted a 4-for-14 mark from the floor. However, in one of their grittier bursts of the evening, they still managed to seize their largest lead of the game. Virginia Tech led by as many as six on three separate occasions, briefly controlling the pace and tempo as BYU cycled through adjustments.

The advantage evaporated almost as quickly as it emerged. BYU’s response was deliberate and grounded in exploiting Tech’s lack of size on. The Cougars emphasized touches in the interior and scored consistently around the basket, piling up 32 points in the paint to Tech’s 18. That discrepancy gradually tilted momentum back in favor of the Cougars. Without steady outside shooting to counter BYU’s scoring inside, Tech struggled to generate the type of offensive punch needed to reclaim the lead.

In the fourth quarter, Virginia Tech continued to defend with enough discipline to stay within striking distance, but matching that effort with timely scoring remained a challenge. Each Tech run seemed to stall before it truly materialized, while BYU found just enough midrange and interior production to maintain control in the final minutes. The Hokies outscored BYU, 22-21, in the final 10 minutes, but it wasn't enough to offset the rocky third quarter, resulting in a four-point loss, Tech's second straight defeat.

The loss closes the first half of Virginia Tech’s two-game appearance in the Paradise Jam, a stretch that serves as its final extended road test until Dec. 18 against Florida State. The Hokies will meet Oregon State next on Saturday, Nov. 29, at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+, a matchup that offers a chance to split their time in the Virgin Islands before returning to Blacksburg.

Following the tournament, the Hokies will shift attention to the ACC/SEC Challenge, hosting Florida on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2.