Women's Basketball Yields First Contest of 2025-26 Season In Nine-Point Loss to JMU

The Hokies lost by nine, marking their first defeat of the 2025-26 campaign.

Virginia Tech Athletics

Virginia Tech women's basketball suffered its first loss of the 2025-26 campaign, sustaining a 65-56 defeat at the hands of James Madison. The showdown marked the Hokies' third straight defeat to the Dukes in the two teams' first matchup since the 2018-19 season.

FINAL | Hokies 56, Dukes 65

— Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) November 23, 2025

"I thought our effort for 40 minutes was a little bit inconsistent," said Virginia Tech head coach Megan Duffy. "And you could see when we made our run, we were playing at an intense pace, physical and tough. We just didn't do it for 40 minutes. Got crushed on the boards, and it was probably our biggest key to the game, making sure we blocked out and did some small things. And I thought that really, really hurt us.

"They didn't necessarily score always off of it, but it gave them confidence and extra possessions, which which ultimately hurt us a little bit. For two teams that really get out in transition, it was kind of a slug match in a lot of ways, and a halfcourt game for both teams. We just didn't do enough down the stretch."

The Hokies struggled from the field throughout the contest, making 19-of-58 (32.8%) from the field. That output resulted in Virginia Tech scoring its lowest points this season (56) by an eight-point margin. The Hokies' previous low in the 2025-26 campaign was Game 2 against Loyola Maryland, where they tallied 64 points in a 16-point victory.

"I thought we got great shots and missed a lot of layups and missed a lot of open jump shots," Duffy said. "We have to continue to keep shooting and work on our finishing. Then, they had some great possessions too, like we did. They took some stuff away, but overall, we had some pretty good looks."

Where the game was lost for Virginia Tech was on the glass. The Hokies were outrebounded offensively, 13-7, and 47-27 in overall rebounds. The most glaring statistic? The 21-3 second-chance points margin, where the Dukes came up with more contested rebounds due to the Hokies' relative lack of size.

Although Virginia Tech forced 21 turnovers from the Dukes, it was unable to break away with the lead. The fourth quarter became tightly contested, though; James Madison entered the frame up six, but on the Hokies' first possession of the quarter, Baker nailed a triple to slice the deficit to three. Tech again threatened, closing to within two off a fast-break bucket from guard Mackenzie Nelson at the 6:55 mark.

Just under two minutes later, it happened again when guard Carleigh Wenzel cashed in from beyond the arc, after Nelson pilfered the ball. A possession later, Wenzel went up on a three-point attempt, but was fouled. At the line, she made two of three, giving Tech a one-point lead with just over five minutes to go, its first since the 0:41 mark of the opening quarter.

From there, the two teams quickly traded buckets. A tip-in from McLeod was met by a Baker triple, bringing the junior forward up to 11 points. Baker was one of three Hokies to score in double-figures Saturday, alongside Wenzel (20) and Nelson (10). Fellow forward Kilah Freelon also stood out, notching eight points, seven rebounds, three steals and three blocks against the Dukes.

LET'S. GO. HOKIES.

The Bake Show drains a three to push us in front!

Q4 (3:36) | 🦃 » 55, 🟣🐶 » 53 pic.twitter.com/jX2OSlDBuh

— Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) November 23, 2025

However, it wasn't enough. Baker's triple was the last shot that the Hokies nailed until Wenzel tallied a free throw make with five seconds to go. With 34 seconds remaining on the clock, Wenzel's three-point try was no good, forcing the Hokies to foul with precious little time remaining.

A play later, Nelson coughed up the ball to James Madison forward Ashanti Barnes, who tallied 14 points, 16 rebounds and three assists on the outing. That effort was complemented by guard Peyton McDaniel, who scored a team-high 19 points, including eight in the final frame to help the Dukes stave off the Hokies.

"Yeah, I thought we ran a couple really nice quick hits and got open shots and didn't make them," Duffy said. "It led to them getting a couple easy baskets on the other side. So, late game stuff, you just have to get good quality shots. I thought for the most part, we did that... It was good experience, getting in that late-game situation for this team."

Virginia Tech now has four days before it starts play in the Paradise Jam, heading down to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the three-game slate. Duffy remarked during postgame availability that the turnaround will be short and that the team will leave for the Virgin Islands on Tuesday.

The first game will take place against BYU on Thursday, Nov. 27 at 5:30 p.m. ET. Through six games, the Cougars are undefeated and present a formidable foe for the Hokies to start the tournament.

"We're disappointed, obviously, because we just lost, but I think we're in great shape," Duffy said.