The Virginia Tech women’s basketball team enters tonight’s game against Clemson likely out of contention for an NCAA Tournament berth. However, the Hokies will be playing for something more as they celebrate the hard work and dedication of seniors Lakeisha Logan, Lindsay Biggs and Utahya Drye.
“It’s exciting to see how much they’ve grown, and how much better they’ve gotten and see their confidence rise through the four years,” said Tech head coach Beth Dunkenberger. “What I hope that our freshmen can see from this is where they can go from here.”
Tech’s three seniors will leave after this season, each having left a mark on the program.
Logan, who hails from Scarboro, W.Va., came to Tech after averaging 23 points, seven rebounds and nine assists per game at Oak Hill High School. While she was used primarily as a backup at the point guard position in her freshman year, Logan made her first two collegiate starts against Virginia and at No. 12 Duke during her sophomore campaign.
Known for her outside shooting presence, she stepped up as a junior. Last year, she finished second on the team in three-point baskets and this season, she hit three three-pointers in only nine minutes versus North Carolina Central.
Drye, a native of Durham, N.C., came to the Hokies as a McDonald’s All-America nominee and scored more than 1,000 points for Northern Durham High School — a feat she would later accomplish as a Hokie.
Drye played in all 34 games as a freshman, including two starts, but it wasn’t until her sophomore campaign that she really caught on.
“As a freshman coming in, my role I felt like was learning the system and whenever I got in, (I was) just doing my part as much as I could,” Drye said.
During her junior year, Drye exploded as a potent offensive threat.
Drye led the team in scoring with 14.3 points per game and scored in double figures 24 times during her junior year.
As a senior, though, she achieved her greatest accomplishment. In Tech’s upset over No. 10 North Carolina, Drye scored 16 points and in doing so, became the 22nd Hokie with 1,000 career points in the same game. Not only was it Tech’s first victory over the Tar Heels in 26 years, but Drye also became only the second player in Tech history to record 1,000 career points, 600 rebounds and 200 assists.
“Up to my senior year, each year I’ve become more of a leader and this year, just taking the role as leader and as captain ... just helping our team become as successful as possible,” Drye said.
A version of this article appeared in the Feb 25 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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