Virginia Tech Women's Basketball Dominates in 79-42 Win Over SMU

Virginia Tech women's hoops traveled south to take on the SMU Mustangs and walked out victorious with a blowout 79-42 victory Thursday evening. The Hokies were riding high after back-to-back conference wins and picking up their 500th win inside Cassell Coliseum against Boston College last week. After their dominant win over the Mustangs, Tech's improved its conference record over .500 and is now a three-game win streak. They'll look to carry that momentum into their next matchup after a one-week break.

"I'd rather practice every day of the bye, but we'll give them an extra day off and try to stay sharp," said Virginia Tech head coach Megan Duffy on the Virginia Tech Sports Network to play-by-play commentator Evan Hughes. "The grind continues, doubt."

The Mustangs were first to scratch the scoreboard with a made layup by Zarah King in the first 30 seconds to take the lead. However, that would prove to be SMU's only lead; Virginia Tech quickly responded with a trey from Leila Wells to put it ahead. By the end of the first quarter, the Hokies had established a strong eight-point lead, 16-8. Virginia Tech added onto its lead further in the second frame, piling on 16 points to enter the third quarter up 32-19.

The Hokies pulled away for good in the second half. In the third quarter, Virginia Tech shot 53% from the field and drilled 75% of its shots from three to establish a 24-point lead over the Mustangs entering the final frame.

"I was really pleased with our third quarter," Duffy said. "I thought that starting group, right of the bat, just looked a little more confident, and executed well."

Total team effort on the road! ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/gtJnOX1RrF
— Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) January 16, 2026

The Hokies' success on the road was a complete team effort; three of their five starters recorded 10 or more points: The double-digit scorers that started were forward Carys Baker (15), guard Carleigh Wenzel (10), and Kilah Freelon (18). Guard Samyha Suffren also piled on a career-high 18 points, also notching two blocks, five rebounds and three steals.

Stays cooking! 🍳

Carys Baker with eight third quarter points to go with her four assists!

Q3 (4:10) | 🦃 » 45, 🐴 » 30 pic.twitter.com/izsAnnIkPo
— Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) January 16, 2026

Baker has been a consistent presence for the Hokies all season long; her 15-point outing against the Mustangs marked her 14th performance scoring in double figures. The junior guard went 3-6 from the trey to record the team high along with Wenzel. Baker also recorded four assists and five rebounds.

Freelon also picked up a team-high 18 points after going 6-9 in the field and drilling six free throws. The senior forward also paved the way defensively for the Hokies with a team-best nine rebounds, also logging two blocks and three steals.

However, the Hokie who truly shined on the court was Suffren. The Charlotte, North Carolina native had a career night on both ends at Moody Coliseum. Suffren recorded a career-best 18 points, going 7-for-15 from the field and 4-for-4 from the line. Suffren also heavily contributed to the Hokies' elite defense against the Mustangs with a team best three steals and a career-high two blocks.

ELITE defense 😤

📺 ACC Extra x @HokiesWBB pic.twitter.com/XSYhXFfYZH
— ACC Women's Basketball (@accwbb) January 16, 2026

Virginia Tech will get some needed rest before returning to Cassell Coliseum on Thursday, Jan. 22, to take on the Clemson Tigers. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET; the game will be carried on ACC Network Extra.

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