
1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
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![]() | 25 | 42 | 10 | 77 |
![]() | 30 | 37 | 5 | 72 |
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HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – Senior Monet Tellier knocked down a jumper with one second left in regulation to force the overtime where the Virginia Tech women’s basketball battled past Hofstra for the 77-72 win.
The Hokies improve to 5-0 on the season, marking the first time that Tech has opened the season in this manner since the 2008-09 campaign.
Fellow senior Uju Ugoka led the Hokies with 26 points while Tellier added 20, scoring 18 of those in the second half and overtime. Freshman Vanessa Panousis tallied 14 points. Hannah Young grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and Taijah Campbell pulled down 10 rebounds while blocking five shots and picking up two steals.
“I am really proud of the girls,” said Virginia Tech Head Coach Dennis Wolff. “We were a little sluggish at first. I think with the week off we weren’t quite as sharp as we had been in the first four games, but they showed a lot of toughness at the end of the game and in to the overtime period. Obviously Mo’s shot was big. I thought Taijah did a great job on the boards at the end and Uju was great throughout the game. If you want to have a good season then you need to win games like this, so I’m really proud of the girls.”
Virginia Tech and Hofstra kept it close early in the opening half with the Hokies holding the largest lead of the half, going up nine (19-10) off a three pointer from Maddison Penn with 11:04 to go. The Hokies maintained the lead, but the Pride kept chipping away over the next eight minutes and tied it up at 25-25 with 3:23 to play in the half. Hofstra closed out the half with a 5-0 run to take the 30-25 lead in to the break.
Coming out of the break, the Pride went on a run to go ahead by eight (25-27) after two minutes of play. Hofstra held on to the advantage, but the Hokies answered with a 12-4 run over the next six minutes to tie it up at 39-39 with 12:07 to go in the second. Hofstra again went on top, going up six off back-to-back three pointers with just under 10 minutes to play in regulation. Tellier scored seven straight and Panousis capped a Tech run with a three pointer as the Hokies reclaimed the lead, up 55-51 at the 7:12 mark.
The two teams traded baskets over the final minutes of regulation and were knotted at 65 with less than a minute to go. Hofstra’s Annie Payton hit a jumper with five seconds to go to put the Pride up 67-65. The Hokies brought it to the other end of the court where Tellier connected on a jumper from the short corner to tie it up and force the overtime.
In the extra time, the two teams traded baskets to start, but the Hokies went on a 6-0 run to go up 75-69 with 50 seconds to go. The Pride looked to spark a run with a three pointer from Payton in the final 20 seconds, but Tellier hit a pair of free throws to seal the win.
Payton led the Pride with 20 points while Anma Onyeuku tallied 17 points. Elo Edeferioka grabbed 11 rebounds and Andreana Thomas handed out 10 assists.
The Hokies shot over 40 percent from the field for the fifth consecutive game. Tech hit 33-of-74 for 44.6 percent. Tech also outrebounded the Pride, 50-43.
Virginia Tech scored over 70 points for the fifth straight, marking the first time Tech has scored 70 or more in five consecutive games since the 2004-05 season when the Hokies tallied seven straight.
The Hokies will be back on the court on Wednesday, Nov. 27 when Tech hosts Richmond. Game time is slated for 4 p.m. at Cassell Coliseum.
For updates on Virginia Tech women's basketball, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_WBBall).