Virginia Tech Women's Basketball Pulls Away Late and Defeats Virginia 76-64

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BLACKSBURG, Va. -- On an afternoon that honored 50 years of women's basketball at Virginia Tech, the Hokies added another moment to the program's history, defeating rival Virginia 76-64 on Sunday at Cassell Coliseum to push their winning streak to seven.
OUR HOUSE. OUR STATE. 🏆#CommonwealthClash | @SmithfieldBrand pic.twitter.com/1ysoncfr3M
— Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) February 1, 2026
"Just to have our alums in the building and decades of people who have paved the way for us was very special," said Virginia Tech (18-5, 8-3 ACC) coach Megan Duffy. "With them and the rest of our crowd, it was just a great enviornment."
The game itself was anything but smooth early on. Both teams struggled to score in a physical first quarter, combining to shoot 10-for-36 (27.8%) from the field. Virginia (15-7, 7-4 ACC) held a 12-10 lead after one, despite guard Kymora Johnson, the ACC's second-leading scorer, being held scoreless in the opening frame.
The Cavaliers found their rhythm in the second quarter behind Johnson, though, who scored all 11 of her first-half points in the second quarter, including a stretch with eight points in just 57 seconds.
Still, Virginia Tech possessed an answer for each surge. Guard Carleigh Wenzel tied the game with a three-pointer midway through the quarter, and Mackenzie Nelson gave the Hokies the edge going into half with a made contested three and two free throws with under a minute to play in the half. The Hokies led 30-28 going into the break.
"I'm just extremely proud and grateful for the grit and effort they showed tonight," Duffy said. "I thought they were relentless with staying in the moment, fighting for each other, fixing things as we went. Just overall, loved the grit of this team today."
Following the anniversary ceremony at halftime, the Hokies came out with renewed energy. Virginia Tech captured its largest lead at that point halfway through the frame, taking a seven-point lead, but the Cavaliers were able to go into the fourth down just five.
Forward Carys Baker, Virginia Tech's leading scorer, was held scoreless in the first half, but turned it on in the third. She shot a perfect 3-for-3 from the field, including two triples in the third quarter.
"We said at halftime, 'Shoot the ball. We're going to get you the ball. Knock it down,'" Nelson said.
Virginia Tech closed the third quarter strong. Johnson hit a late three-pointer to close the gap to just three, but Nelson quickly rushed up court to get fouled, going up for an and-one layup with a second remaining in the third frame.
Wenzel was relentless in getting downhill and getting to the free-throw line. She set a program record for most free throw attempts in a game in program history with 20. She passed Nikki Davis, who attempted 18 free throws in a 2010 game against Miami. Of Wenzel's team-leading 23 points, 12 of them came at the charity stripe.
"I love that I was able to keep my poise and take the hits, but I'm not happy with my percentage," Wenzel said. "That's all mental. It's something you can't really lean on and focus on too much."
Duffy praised her team's mentality late, particualrly its willingness to keep its foot on the gas, rather than just protecting the lead.
"I'm proud of the way they stayed in attack mode," Duffy said. "They took really good quality shots, and when I was yelling at them to chill out and slow down a bit, they listened, which was good."
Virginia Tech outscored Virginia 21-14 in the fourth quarter and led for nearly 30 minutes, closing out the 76-64 win in front of an energized Cassell crowd.
This victory pushes the Hokies' win streak to seven conference games. Despite the team playing well, it is still focused on playing it one game at a time.
"It's seven straight, but it is just one at a time," Nelson said. "You don't think about the next game, you don't think about the last game, you just think consistency."
The Hokies are now fourth in the ACC standings and will return to action Thursday, Feb. 5, as they travel to Notre Dame to take on Hannah Hidalgo and the Fighting Irish. Tipoff is at 7:00 p.m. ET, and coverage will be on the ACC Network.
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James Duncan is a senior at Virginia Tech studying Sports Media and Analytics. He is an active member of 3304 Sports, covering Virginia Tech sports, as well as a reporter for The Lead covering the Washington Commanders. James is passionate about delivering detailed, accurate coverage and helping readers connect with the games they love.