Through three-quarters of their ACC showdown with No. 3 and undefeated North Carolina State, the Virginia Tech women's basketball team struggled to get stops on the defensive end, running their offense and finishing. That all changed over the final seven minutes and things turned quickly.
After a 12-0 Virginia Tech run gave them a 61-60 lead, NC State got a go-ahead layup from Saniya Rivers with 2.1 seconds left for a 62-61 lead. After both teams exchanged timeouts, Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks drew up an out-of-bounds play to win the game.
Cayla King lobbed an inbounds pass into the paint where Elizabeth Kitley caught the ball and was able to bank her shot home with 0.9 seconds left for a stunning 63-62 win over the previously unbeaten Wolfpack.
ELIZABETH KITLEY HITS THE GAME WINNER π¨ @HokiesWBB pic.twitter.com/UkawwYeH2U
β ACC Network (@accnetwork) January 7, 2024
Virginia Tech X had a wild reaction to the victory.
LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
β Patrick (@patfinn45) January 7, 2024
Kitley. π
β Jordan Hutchinson (@jutchinson) January 7, 2024
ACC Women's Basketball. I love it. What great fight and finish from @HokiesWBB today. #3 is no longer undefeated. The @CassellGuardVT did their job. #Hokies
β CK (@CuKelvin) January 7, 2024
THIS TEAM!!! #HOKIES WHAT A WIN!!! pic.twitter.com/C0uT0Wjkfj
β BRM (@BillyRayTweets) January 7, 2024
What a freaking pass. What a freaking screen. What a freaking finish. #Hokies
β Nathan Loprete π§ (@NathanLoprete) January 7, 2024
What a game! What a finish! #Hokies
β Tom Willard πΊπΈ (@TomWillardVT) January 7, 2024
GREAT WIN!!! GOKIESSSSSS π§‘
β Aisha Sheppard (@____blessed2) January 7, 2024
ITβS GOING TO BE A GREAT DAY, HOKIE NATION π₯π₯π₯
β The SWVA Shop (@theswvashop) January 7, 2024
What a W, @HokiesWBBβΌοΈ
Letβs go!!! pic.twitter.com/vitkhR4skH
β πΊπ¦ π ΏοΈETE πΊπΈ (@PeterHokie) January 7, 2024
To say this was a win that the Hokies needed this win would be an understatement. They lost their first two ranked matchups to Iowa and LSU, but they battled back in the fourth quarter to knock off the third-ranked team in the country. What a finish and what a win.