Chris Stack/SPPSThe Hokies' Brittany Gordon battles for a rebound with North Carolina Central's Jori Nwachukwu. Gordon grabbed a game-high seven boards.
The Hokies' (3-0) bench kept an early lead safe and sound in scoring 40 points on the night. Junior guard Lakeisha Logan leaped off her seat to ignite Tech with a team-leading 19 points, draining three of five from behind the arc, all on her birthday.
"You're always excited on your birthday," said Logan. "I was happy it could translate to the court. It was just fun to come out and be in that rhythm."
The win over the Lady Eagles (0-3) saw a consumate team effort, with scoring come from 10 different Tech players.
"We have a very deep bench," Tech head coach Beth Dunkenberger said. "We want our players not to just fill in while someone takes a break, but step it up and make a difference in the game."
In its first ever match-up with the Lady Eagles, Tech fired off to a hot start right from the get-go, launching a 9-2 run in the first five minutes of the game. It continued to expand on its lead, establishing a comfortable 22-point cushion at halftime, 42-22.
Tech continued its relentless onslaught in the second half, finishing the game with a season high in points.
The Hokies' stifling defense, which hasn't allowed more than 54 points over its past three contests, continued to play a huge factor. With the combination of centers Brittany Gordon and Amber Hall policing the interior, Tech amassed seven blocks and 16 defensive rebounds in the first half alone.
Hall, a 6'2" senior, and Gordon, a 6'4" sophomore, each notched three blocks. The Lady Eagles would sport a season-low 29.6 field goal percentage for the game.
Gordon led the Hokies with seven boards on the night while Utahya Drye added 6. Tech outrebounded NC Central by a 40-27 margin.
Tech dominated the interior throughout on offense as well, scoring 28 in the first half and allowing the Lady Eagles only two points from the paint.
Fast breaks were key throughout the game. Tech's forced a number of awkward and blocked shots, leading to several fast break opportunities. Capitalizing off these, Tech was able to tally 15 against the Lady Eagles in transition.
"We've tried to put an emphasis on our ability to move the ball and score in transition," Dunkenberger said. "I feel like the practice we've put in came through in a big way tonight.
Showing they were able to score from anywhere on the court, the Hokies shot 60 percent from the field in the first half, and their unselfish demeanor lead to an ACC season-high 27 assists and 63.2 team field goal percentage.
Freshman standouts and fellow roommates Brittany Lewis and Shanel Harrison continued to show their promise.
"They have a chemistry that's still a little raw," Dunkenberger said, "But it's showing more and more development as the season has gone on."
Free-throw shooting posed a bit of a problem for the Hokies, as they shot only 44 percent from the line in the first half, going 4-9. They continued to struggle from the line throughout, finishing with only five points in 12 trips to the line.
Blaire Houston led the way for UNCC, scoring 15 points, and Jori Nwachukwu also put up impressive numbers with 14 points and six rebounds.
One category NC Central prevailed was steals, winning by an 8-7 total.
Shani Grey has fit in quite well replacing injured guard Brittany Cook, who is out for the season due to surgery on her right knee. She posted seven points and three assists in the first half alone.
"As a team we all felt like we needed to step up to cover the loss of a great player," said Logan. "We've been able to do a great job of it so far."
In its first road test of the season, Tech next travels to Fairfax, Va., to face George Mason on Sunday at 2 p.m.
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