PITTSBURGH — Virginia Tech overwhelmed Pitt with its prolific 3-point shooting, leading the Hokies to a 74-58 win Thursday night. It now marks the Panthers eighth straight loss.
After suffering a 1-for-10 drought midway through the first quarter with the score tied at six, the Hokies went on a quick 16-4 run, created by the offense of Dara Mabry, who made four 3-point shots during the stretch.
“We have to communicate. Once a kid makes two, you would think that now you have got to be able to key in to where she is at,” coach Lance White said. “Our post is having to seal and we are having to seal with a guard now and she popped a couple of times. Again it’s better communication, a better idea that once a kid hits that many then you got to key in on them.”
The Hokies’ hot shooting continued throughout the second quarter, propelling them to a 48-29 lead at halftime. The Panthers struggled to get much of anything going throughout the first half, as they shot 13 of 30 from the field and committed six turnovers.
The Hokies’ offense stayed consistent in the second half, as they maintained a big lead. They were led by senior guard Taylor Emery, who ended the game with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Freshman guard Mabry ended the game with 22 points, with 18 of those points being on made 3-point field goals. They finished with 13, 3-point field goals in total.
Senior forward Danielle Garven led the way for the Panthers with 16 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Junior guard Jasmine Whitney also had a solid game as she added 15 points after going scoreless in her previous two games. Senior Guard Cassidy Walsh was held to only three points.
“My mindset, coach kind of talked to me about having an attack mentality,” Jasmine Whitney said. “If I can’t get the shot up, I would get my other teammates open, just make plays, but I think it was a mindset. Like coach said, the second half, it was a mentality for the whole team, we came out with more energy, more passion, got more stops on defense and that was the different in the two halves.”
Pitt’s losing streak is now at eight straight games, while their ACC losing streak is up to 15 games dating back to their last win against Clemson on Feb. 1, 2018.
Pittʼs next game is on the road against Duke on Sunday. Tip off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
