Going to the West Coast for the first time since Stanford and California joined the ACC, the Virginia Tech women's basketball team had a golden opportunity in front of them to pick up two résumé-building wins for the NCAA Tournament. They got off on the right foot on Thursday night with a dominating second half to take down Stanford, 79-67.
They looked to complete the California sweep on Sunday against the Golden Bears, and they did with a huge fourth quarter to win, 68-58, and collect their 20th win of the season and their 10th in ACC play. Here are three observations from the Hokies' second straight win after losing back-to-back games against Notre Dame and North Carolina State.
3 observations from Virginia Tech women's basketball win over Cal
Samyha Suffren continues to thrive
When the Hokies lost Samyha Suffren to an injury last season, it was a devastating blow. She is more than making up for lost time this year. She has been tremendous at both ends of the floor for Duffy, and she was excellent against Cal.
She scored a game-high 19 points and had three rebounds. She used her speed to get to the basket, and she was 5-for-7 from the free-throw line. The Golden Bears had a tough time slowing her down, and she did a nice job getting to the basket and free-throw line. She was 7-for-12 from the field. It was a much-needed effort.
Virginia Tech avoids injury to Kilah Freelan
Texas Tech transfer Kilah Freelon has been a double-double machine this year for Duffy. She collected another one against California with 12 points and 10 rebounds. However, she injured her shoulder in the fourth quarter and looked to be in some serious pain. She returned later in the quarter, which was big to see. Virginia Tech can't afford to lose her at any point.
Virginia Tech locks down in the fourth quarter
The Hokies took a 44-43 lead into the fourth quarter. Both teams struggled to shoot the ball in the third quarter, which was highlighted by a foul fest and free throws galore for both teams. It felt like the longest quarter this year. In the final quarter, Virginia Tech locked down defensively and pulled away for the win.
Suffren's defense was huge, and Virginia Tech's defense did a good job of rebounding compared to earlier in the game. When the Hokies are locked in defensively, they are very difficult to beat. According to David Cunningham of Tech Sideline, Virginia Tech joined an elite group of ACC teams this year to travel out West and come away with a sweep. They joined Duke and Louisville as the only teams to do it. Wake Forest, Notre Dame, and Virginia failed to do it. SMU and Clemson remain the last two teams to try in 2025-26.