Collegiate Times

The Virginia Tech women’s basketball team was handed its fifth consecutive loss Sunday afternoon, as the Duke Blue Devils toppled the Hokies, 57-43.

Tech’s disappointing season continues, as the Hokies are now 9-9 overall and 0-4 in ACC play.

Duke dominated early in the first half, shooting 50 percent from the field.

On the other hand, the Hokies offense struggled tremendously, shooting just 32.1 percent from the field, compared to an average of 41.2 percent. 

The Hokies were held to just six points in the first eight minutes of play, as Tricia Liston’s lay-up in transition extended Duke’s lead to 14. Liston came off the bench for the Blue Devils and had a tremendous game, tallying 13 points and five rebounds.

Alyssa Fenyn’s three-pointer with two minutes left in the first half put the Hokies within twelve and electrified Cassell Coliseum, and a minute later Tech capitalized on a fast break driven by a Nikki Davis steal.

Yet despite Tech’s late surge in the first half, the Devils responded with a fast break lay-up by Jasmine Thomas with less than a minute to play, and the half ended with Duke on top, 34-21.

The Hokies began the second half with a 6-0 run, holding the Blue Devils scoreless for the first three minutes. Nevertheless, Duke battled back after a slow start, as Liston’s three-pointer extended the lead to 16.

The Blue Devils had an obvious size advantage over the Hokies, and the battle down low proved to be the difference in the game. Of Duke’s 57 total points, 32 came from inside the paint, and Duke’s 6-foot-5-inch center, Krystal Thomas, made it difficult for the Hokies to penetrate Duke’s zone.

Turnovers plagued Tech’s offense, as the Hokies turned the ball over 22 times.

“We had 22 turnovers and a lot of them are unforced," said Beth Dunkenberger, Tech head coach. "That is not the sign of a poised, focused team.”

Tech’s lack of depth was evident throughout the contest, as the Hokies had little help from the bench. Duke had 29 points off the bench, compared to Tech’s 14.

Allison Vernerey was the energizer bunny off the bench, leading the Blue Devils with 15 points. Prior to the game, Vernerey averaged just 4.3 points per game this season.

“Vernerey did what good back-up post players do,” Dunkenberger said. “We said she is going to get the ball, she is going to get it deep, she is going to get it on the left block, she is going to turn to her left and score. And she did it again, and again, and again.”

One positive for the Hokies was their effort on defense. Tech held Duke to just 57 points, a team that has averaged 70.9 points per game this season.

Shanel Harrison led the Hokies with 10 points and 7 rebounds. Fenyn added nine points, yet committed five turnovers as well.

“We need to come together as a team, we need a lot of positive reinforcement,” Fenyn said.

Tech has a week to regroup before its next ACC matchup. The Hokies take on Virginia next Sunday at 2 p.m. in Charlottesville.

A version of this article appeared in the Jan 17 issue of the Collegiate Times.