Sunday was a special afternoon at Cassell Coliseum. The day was highlighted by Liz Kitley Night where her No. 33 was raised to the rafters in a well-earned ceremony. There was also huge business on the court with Virginia Tech looking to pick up a massive résumé win for the NCAA Tournament.
Charlie Creme of ESPN released his latest bracketology on Friday and he had the Hokies as the final team in the field after losing on Thursday night at home to Virginia. It'll be interesting to see where they are when he updates it Tuesday, but Virginia Tech made a good case to move a little closer into the field with a big win over Louisville, snapping the Cardinals' seven-game winning streak. Here are three takeaways from the Hokies bounce-back victory in front of a sold-out Cassell.
Three takeaways from Virginia Tech beating Louisville
1. Kayl Petersen was a huge x-factor
Foul trouble was an issue for the Hokies who ended the first half with four of their five starters on the bench with two fouls. Not an ideal situation. That meant Megan Duffy had to rely on her bench more and freshman Kayl Petersen answered the call. She finished with 12 points, which included two big second-half 3-pointers to keep the Cardinals at bay. If she can contribute off the bench like that going forward, it would be welcomed production.
2. Lani White carried the Hokies offensively
Carys Baker struggled offensively, as did Carleigh Wenzel at times, but Lani White carried the Hokies with 18 points. She hit a trio of 3-pointers and was 5-for-6 from the foul line. On her shooting from the field, mainly from behind the arc, she looked confident with her shot, something that hasn't been the case this season. It was a promising outing from the Utah transfer.
3. Virginia Tech played very good defense
You can bet after losing to Virginia Thursday night, Duffy challenged her team to be better on the defensive end. They allowed 73 points to the Cavaliers, but for the first three quarters against Louisville, they only allowed 45 points. They held the Cardinals to 2-for-18 from behind the 3-point line and truth be told, if Virginia Tech rebounded the ball better defensively, the game wouldn't have been as close. Regardless, when they needed a stop down the stretch, they got.
Aside from White's 18 points and six rebounds, Wenzel tied Petersen with 12 points and Rose Micheaux had 10 points and four rebounds. The Hokies will return to the court on Thursday night at Pittsburgh before visiting North Carolina State next Sunday night.