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Elizabeth Kitley had already used her signature 360 degree spin to score 10 points by the midway point of the second quarter. Virginia Tech’s 6-foot-6 center consistently isolated herself against a much smaller Syracuse side, helping her bank in layups and generate the Hokies’ 10 first-half 3-pointers.

To close out the quarter, Kitley missed two straight stepback jumper attempts, but SU’s defense was too focused on surrounding her, allowing Virginia Tech to grab two offensive rebounds, one of which Azana Baines collected in traffic to give the Hokies a 20-point lead.

“It’s tough. Obviously (Kitley’s) 6’6 and we don’t have anybody that size,” acting head coach Vonn Read said postgame. “She’s a player of the year candidate. And then they’ve got great shooting around her.”

Heading into the game, Kitley, the Atlantic Coast Conference’s tallest player, led the league in field goals made (179), was second in points per game (17.3) and one of only two players averaging at least 10 rebounds a game. Against Syracuse, she scored 24 points and grabbed 11 boards, forcing the Orange to abandon their usual defensive scheme of keeping opponents to the perimeter.

As a result, with poor offense and defense teaming up together on Thursday night, Syracuse (11-14, 4-11 ACC) fell to No. 23 Virginia Tech (20-6, 12-3 ACC) 102-53. After an improved defensive performance in a narrow six-point loss to Florida State on Tuesday, the Orange allowed their most points of the season, including 40 in the paint, as Kitley and the rest of the Hokies outmatched and outmuscled SU.

“When they’re making shots like that and they have that type of size advantage, it just made it tough on us,” Read said.

Syracuse typically relies on its 2-3 zone to force bigger teams to shoot from deep. But with the Hokies being taller and also the 22nd-best team nationally from beyond the arc, the Orange decided to shift their focus inside, particularly toward Kitley.

That plan quickly backfired. Kitley’s first points came early in a 1-on-1 battle with Christianna Carr below the basket. She faked as if she was going to sneak by Christianna’s right side and sink a layup, but instead went the opposite way, pivoting between Christianna and a trailing Alaysia Styles to give the Hokies an early eight-point lead.

“If I was 6’6 then it would be an easy matchup, but unfortunately I’m not,” Christianna said.

Syracuse gave up at least 100 points for the second time this season. Arthur Maiorella | Staff Photographer

In the game’s early minutes, it was the Hokies who led the 3-point shooting battle, hitting four straight during that span, with two each from Georgia Amoore and Aisha Sheppard.

VT’s 3s were generated by the drive and kick plays that have hurt SU’s defense all season. But it was also Kitley sending the ball back out to the corners that helped generate Virginia Tech’s 53.8% shooting from deep. Sheppard, who hit five 3s against Syracuse last season, scored six on Thursday, with five coming in the first 13 minutes. Cayla King was also the recipient of several 3-point attempts in both corners, and finished 4-for-6.

Virginia Tech broke the 50-point mark late in the second quarter when Kitley sent a long ball to the right wing for King, who was left wide-open after three SU defenders converged on Kitley in the middle of the paint. On the previous possession, the Hokies had orchestrated a similar play, with Kitley sending the ball to the left corner for King, who drove inside for a layup, but missed. D’asia Gregg secured the offensive rebound and scored on the putback layup.

“All those kids shoot 40%, some of them 45%, from the 3-point line. We knew that this could be a situation where they could really get hot shooting the ball,” Read said.

Kitley led all scorers with 24 points, recording her 12th double-double of the season. Her presence in the paint led Syracuse back into foul trouble as Alaina Rice fouled out, and by the end of the third quarter, she — along with Christianna and Styles — had accumulated three fouls.

The inside presence was how Kitley recorded eight points in the opening three minutes of the third quarter. She earned two and-1 opportunities — where she converted all three points on both plays — off fouls from Styles and Christianna. Later in the period, Kitley scored an easy layup to put the Hokies up 25, as she backed Styles into the paint and scored an easy layup, leaving Styles the only option of simply raising her arms up as high as she could, but even then, she still couldn’t touch Kitley.

Still, Read acknowledged that Syracuse was one of the first teams this season to play zone against Virginia Tech and struggled to get “matched up” for most of the game. And while Christianna said that the Orange’s defensive outlook against the Hokies was based on personnel, it still got outplayed by a bigger side that saw SU allow 100 points for the second time this season.

Published on February 17, 2022 at 9:04 pm

Contact Alex: ahcirino@syr.edu