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Following its upset win on the road against No. 15 Notre Dame, Syracuse knew it had to do two things in its matchup with Virginia Tech. One, stop two-time reigning Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley and two, prevent the Hokies from getting hot beyond the arc. Kitley came in as the second-leading scorer in the ACC (21.7 points per game) and VT entered as the best shooting team in the conference (36.8%).

Though the Orange contained Kitley, who finished just 3-for-13 from the field (her worst shooting performance of the season), the same couldn’t be said about stopping Virginia Tech from 3. Georgia Amoore led a 3-point barrage and every time SU got close, the Hokies had an answer.

No. 22 Syracuse (17-3, 7-2 ACC) couldn’t survive No. 19 Virginia Tech’s (16-4, 7-2 ACC) 41.4% clip from 3 as the Hokies defeated SU 75-62. The Hokies proved why they’re the best shooting team in the ACC Sunday, knocking down 12 triples on 29 attempts. Despite Kitley’s struggles, the Orange couldn’t make VT pay. Dyaisha Fair scored just 16 points as SU’s six-game winning streak came crashing down in its first home loss since Jan. 29, 2023.

During her postgame press conference, Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said she doesn’t disrespect any opposing players. She expects her team to not be afraid of any player they come up against and “play the young lady in front of you.”

For large portions of the game, SU did its job against Kitley, but the Hokies’ secondary scorers were the Orange’s downfall.

After Kitley missed her first four shots, her lack of production was made up for by Amoore. The point guard came in as the ACC’s leading distributor, dishing out 7.3 assists per game, but she took over the game with her scoring. Amoore relocated to the left wing to drain her first 3-pointer of the day, putting VT up 3-2. Later, Georgia Woolley tried to spin away from Amoore but had her pocket picked as the point guard went the other way, giving the Hokies a 6-5 lead.

Then Amoore got inside and missed a floater, but Kitley pulled in the rebound and kicked out to a wide-open Amoore at the top of the key. She promptly drained her second 3-pointer of the game to put the Hokies up 11-4.

Fair answered on the other end with a fall-away jumper to cut into the lead, but Amoore answered again with another 3 later on. The point guard then came off a screen and easily carved her way through the lane to give her a game-high 13 first-quarter points.

“She just played her game and I mean, that’s what she does and we just gotta step up regardless,” said SU guard Alaina Rice.

And despite Kitley being held in check with just two points, Syracuse shot just 3-for-13 in the first, culminating in its lowest-scoring opening quarter of the season as it trailed 23-9.

Even with Amoore on the bench after picking up her second foul late in the first quarter, VT continued its success from 3. Matilda Ekh drained two 3s, keeping the Hokies’ advantage in double figures. Virginia Tech knocked down eight first-half 3-pointers, converting them at a 57% rate.

“It’s about us being able to fly out to those shooters and we didn’t do the best job that we could have,” Legette-Jack said of the Hokies shooting. “And we were better than that and we’re going to learn some lessons tonight after watching film.”

Ekh and Woolley traded 3s before Woolley’s triple from the corner cut the deficit to 34-26. Then a Saniaa Wilson bucket inside cut the lead to six before a Fair make capped off a run of eight straight field goals for Syracuse.

As the second quarter wore on, the Hokies grew cold, going over six minutes without hitting a field goal as Kitley continued to struggle. The forward finished just 1-for-9 in the first half with two points, reduced to mostly tough fadeaway jumpers.

But even with Kitley’s struggles and Amoore on the bench in foul trouble, Virginia Tech found itself ahead 36-32 at halftime.

In the second half, each side combined to miss their first 10 shots. After Kitley rejected Kyra Wood inside, the Hokies went the other way. A litany of shots fell long, but four straight offensive rebounds led to Cayla King getting fouled, yet she missed the ensuing free throws. Wooley came down the other end and finished an and-one to bring SU within one.

But Ekh drained a 3 from the top of the key and Amoore carved her way inside, helping the Hokies score seven straight and lead 43-35. Amoore’s 29 points were just two shy of her career high.

Syracuse answered with a couple of buckets, but Amoore once again moved inside, dishing to Kitley who moved the ball to King for a 3-pointer for an eight-point lead. But Wooley came down the floor and finished through contact once more, making it 47-43.

Amoore continued to answer whenever Syracuse threatened. With time winding down in the third, Amoore was tightly guarded by Woolley. The point guard drove inside and quickly stepped back to her left, draining her third 3-pointer of the game as the Hokies led 55-47 heading into the fourth.

Contrary to the Hokies, the Orange knocked down just 23% of their 3s — three days removed from a 6-for-14 effort against Notre Dame.

Coming off SU’s victory over ND, Legette-Jack said she didn’t want to make any excuses. But with a quick turnaround, it left Syracuse with a limited amount of time to prepare for Virginia Tech’s complicated offense.

“We learned some lessons,” Legette-Jack said. “That offense is very technical and we didn’t have enough time to get our hands underneath it. I didn’t, that’s on me as a head coach and lesson learned.”

Kitley picked up her fourth personal foul at the 8:30 mark, and then Syracuse tried making a comeback. Fair double-clutched on a drive and swished a floater through contact, cutting the lead down to six.

Still trailing 62-57, Rice stormed up the floor but a contested floater fell short. The next possession, Woolley picked up Amoore full court, yet Amoore escaped her and found King in the corner for her fourth 3 of the game, giving VT an eight-point advantage.

Fair tried corralling a loose ball rebound by tapping it ahead to herself but slipped as King picked up the ball before finding Kitley inside — increasing the Hokies’ lead to nine. An Amoore jumper the next offensive possession all but sealed Virginia Tech’s victory.

Despite the loss, Legette-Jack’s takeaways from the game were simple. She wants to continue to coach her team through the highs and lows. Sunday just happened to be the lowest point this month.

“Just because you’ve lost the game doesn’t mean that you have to lose my heart,” Legette-Jack said. “But if we continue to do that, I think we will have a winning season throughout the rest of the year.”

Published on January 28, 2024 at 2:18 pm

Contact Zak: [email protected] | @ZakWolf22