Coming off an 85-39 win over North Carolina Central on Monday night, to open the 2026-27 college basketball season, the Virginia Tech women looked to go 2-0 on Wednesday night at Cassell Coliseum in another home non-conference game against Delaware.
As they did against NC Central, the Hokies put the game away early and left no doubt in the second half as they raced out to a 53-19 halftime lead en route to a 101-53 win. Now, after three full days off, Virginia Tech will face its toughest challenge early in the season when it hosts James Madison on Sunday night at Cassell Coliseum, looking for revenge for a loss last season in Harrisonburg. Here are three observations from a second consecutive win for Megan Duffy's club.
Jessica Dimaro is a budding star
It's just two games against lesser competition, but freshman Jessica Dimaro is a true star in the making. Her first real test will be against the Dukes on Sunday, but she did what she should do against lesser competition in NC Central and Delaware.
Against NC Central, Dimaro had 13 points and 13 rebounds. Against Delaware, she passed her point total in the opener in just the first half with 17 points and six rebounds. She was able to score inside nd she did a nice job of putting the ball on the floor and finishing on a floater in the lane. She finished the game with 91 points and seven rebounds. Her athleticism and length are through the roof.
Virginia Tech again plays suffocating defense
In the opener against NC Central, Virginia Tech forced 29 turnovers in the win, and they picked up against the Blue Hens where they left off on Monday night. In the first half alone, the Hokies forced 15 turnovers, and Virginia Tech scored 22 of their 53 points in the opening 20 minutes off those turnovers.
Just how good has the Hokies' defense been early in the season? Against NC Central, they didn't allow a second-quarter field goal, and they held Delaware without a field goal until they got two in the final two minutes. I don't care how much lower the competition is; that is tough to do at any level, nevermind the Division 1 level.
Samyha Suffren could be a major x-factor
Carleigh Wenzel, Dimaro, Tennessee transfer Alyssa Latham, are going to get the headlines this season and rightfully so, but there are a couple of x-factors who could play a big role, and Samyha Suffren is one of them.
Against Delaware, she had 16 points and did most of her damage getting to the basket and finishing, whether it was in transition or running the offense. Here, athleticism is arguably one of the best on the team, and maybe just as impressive is that she can handle the ball. Her defense and pressure are very underrated.
Now, with the first two games in the books, all eyes are on James Madison on Sunday night in what is going to be a very good early-season test.
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