After winning their first three games at home to begin the 2026-27 season against North Carolina Central, Delaware, and James Madison, the Virginia Tech women's basketball team hit the road for their first road game of the season.
Playing your first road game of the season against a Rams team coming into the game with a first-year head coach and a program that won just eight games last season, the last thing you want to do is let a team like VCU hang around. They did, but in the second half, Virginia Tech outscored VCU, 47-36, to pull away for a 77-66 victory for coach Megan Duffy's 200th career win, and helped the Hokies improve to 4-0. Here are some key observations.
9 observations from Virginia Tech women's basketball win over VCU
- The game was tied 30-30 at halftime, and that was largely because the Hokies were just 14-for-25 from the free-throw line. The Rams were just 4-for-7, but free throws are big in a game, and they become even bigger on the road. Never let a team like VCU hang around and believe in just their second game of the season.
- Virginia Tech went 0-for-6 from behind the arc in the first half, and finished 3-for-13 in the game, going 3-for-7 in the second half.
- Ok, it's four games and four opponents that have no answer for Virginia Tech freshman Jessica Dimaro in the middle. I know the opponents are nothing like what she'll see in some later non-conference games, but she continues to prove. She had a double-double of 15 points and 15 rebounds at the half. That's right, 15 and 15 after just 20 minutes. Dimaro finished with 23 points and 24 rebounds. Her 24 boards are a program record for a game, passing Liz Kitley's previous high of 21. She also recorded the first-ever 20-point, 20-rebound game in program history.
- It was a rough first half for Carleigh Wenzel, to say the least. She went 0-for-8 from the field and had just 1 point through 20 minutes. She was frustrated, but as good players do, she stuck with it and had a much better second half, in which she tallied 16 points.
- Wenzel wasn't alone in struggling offensively in the first half. However, it was a much better second half in terms of offense for Virginia Tech. They got better shots, made some, and started connecting on some 3-pointers, which is a big part of their game.
- Aside from Wenzel, Tennessee transfer Alyssa Latham had a big second half as well. Latham finished with 19 points and was an efficient 7-for-11 from the field and 5-for-9 from the free-throw line.
- VCU shot the ball well from behind the arc, going 7-for-20 in the game, compared to just three makes for the Hokies in 13 attempts.
- Virginia Tech had 52 rebounds, 24 from Dimaro, while the Rams had just 27. A freshman nearly out-rebounded the entire VCU roster.
- As close as the game was in the first half and a good chunk of the third quarter before the Hokies pulled away, VCU led for just 43 seconds in the game.
Virginia Tech will return home to host La Salle on Sunday afternoon.
Add us as a preferred source on Google