Winners of two straight, the Virginia Tech women's basketball team was looking to exact some revenge on SMU for the men's team from the previous night. On Wednesday night, Mike Young's team lost 77-76 on a Boopie Miller 48-foot shot at the buzzer. On Thursday night, Megan Duffy's team made sure they would not be in that same situation 24 hours later.
SMU entered the game with only eight available players due to injuries and illnesses, and Virginia Tech let the Mustangs hang around in the first half, but took a 13-point lead into the locker room at halftime before pulling away in the second half to rout the 7-11 Mustangs, who remain winless in conference play at 0-6. Here are three observations after Virginia Tech improved to 14-5 overall and 4-3 in ACC play.
Carys Baker explodes offensively in the second half
There have not been many times in the last couple of seasons when Carys Baker would go scoreless in the first half. It happened on Thursday night in Dallas, but she made up for lost time in the second half, coming out aggressive and scoring in bunches.
Baker finished with 15 points, and she got going early in the third quarter with a pair of 3-pointers. When shooters finally see the ball go through the hoop, they get going, and that was the case for Baker. She had five rebounds and four assists as well.
Kilah Freelon and Samyha Suffren lead Hokies in scoring
When Virginia Tech lost Samyha Suffren to a season-ending injury last year, it was a huge loss. She has been getting better and better with each game, and she broke out against SMU. She tallied 18 points and grabbed five rebounds, but it was her scoring that was impressive. She made seven of her 15 field goal attempts and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Her speed continues to be a problem for teams.
As for Texas Tech transfer Kilah Freelon, she also scored 18 points, shooting 6-for-9 from the field and 6-for-8 from the free throw line. She grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and was a big reason, along with Baker, why the Hokies were able to pull away in the second half.
Virginia Tech continues to play strong defense
Sure, SMU was down to just eight players, but Virginia Tech did what good teams are supposed to do in that situation: they put their opponent away. They outscored the Mustangs, 47-23, in the second half, but defensively, the numbers show just how impressive they were.
SMU shot just 22% from the field, shooting just 12-for-54 and just 3-for-18 from behind the arc. They scored 15 of their 42 points from the free throw line and turned the ball over 22 times. Virginia Tech made them pay for those turnovers with 29 points off them.
Virginia Tech is off this weekend and returns to action next Thursday night at home, hosting Clemson in a game that will have big NCAA Tournament ramifications.