BLACKSBURG, VA - Virginia Tech vs NC State
Written by Declan Walsh | NCAA.com
Even as Elizabeth Kitley auspiciously scrunched her 6-foot, 6-inch frame, blending into a mass of ponytails during No. 13 Virginia Tech's final timeout, there was no doubt as to where coach Kenny Brooks was directing his attention: with 25 points already and 2.9 seconds on the clock, Kitley would get the chance at a game winner.
But even this mountain of foresight still couldn't help NC State contain the All-American center, who separated herself along the low block, corralled the inbounds pass from Cayla King and converted off the glass with less than a second remaining.
NC State's Hail Mary attempt from Saniya Rivers clattered off the backboard, and Kitley's basket capped off a 14-2 Hokie run over the final eight minutes of play that handed No. 3 NC State its first loss of the season, 63-62.
Kitley proved just as vital in the early going, as America's 10th-most efficient offense uncharacteristically struggled to gain traction outside of their post anchor. Kitley scored eight of VT's 13 points in an opening quarter as the Hokies trailed by as much as ten.
The Wolfpack, ranked eighth themselves in defensive efficiency, continued to impose their plodding tempo on Saturday's game, but the famously raucous Cassell crowd began to impact the NC State offense. The two teams combined to shoot just 33 percent in a 21-point second quarter, but a pair of Kitley layups provided by Georgia Amoore cut NC State's advantage down to just one possession entering halftime.
Madison Hayes, who finished Saturday with a season-high 21 points and nine rebounds, continued her breakout afternoon, scoring five straight points to restore NC State's double-digit lead early in the third quarter. An anxious capacity crowd slowly began to crescendo as Virginia Tech began to wipe away its early shooting woes, converting on 9-16 third-quarter field goals, and a pair of Amoore layups narrowed the deficit to seven entering the final period of play. Amoore overcame a rough shooting night to finish with 21 points, the only Hokie besides Kitley to surpass six.
A pair of triples from Hayes and Mimi Collins stretched the Wolfpack lead out to 11 at 60-49, but an astute timeout from Coach Brooks would completely change the remaining eight minutes of action. Brooks extended his team's defensive pressure out near half court which, combined with a fully-realized Cassell crowd recognizing the moment, completely disrupted the NC State offense and prompted a 7:50 scoring drought.
Meanwhile, Virginia Tech dominated on the offensive glass - after a timeout and trailing by one, the Hokies would secure consecutive offensive rebounds, ultimately resulting in a Kitley basket to put VT up 61-60. With nine seconds remaining, NC State star Saniya Rivers tuned out a poor shooting night, driving along the baseline and converting a tough reverse layup for what appeared to be the game-winner, instead giving Kitley just enough time to convert on the other end.