Hokies use threes to deck Wolfpack
TOP 25 WOMEN
NO. 16 VIRGINIA TECH 72, NO. 3 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 61
RALEIGH, N.C. — Elizabeth Kitley had 25 points and 13 rebounds while No. 16 Virginia Tech hit 11 three-pointers to beat third-ranked North Carolina State 72-61 on Thursday night, earning a season sweep of the Wolfpack.
Georgia Amoore had 12 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds for the reigning league champion Hokies (19-4, 10-2), who earned a fourth consecutive win against N.C. State (203, 8-3) and only the program’s second road win against the Wolfpack in 14 tries.
The Hokies won the first meeting on Kitley’s last-second layup after the then-unbeaten Wolfpack blew a 13-point lead. This time, Virginia Tech pushed ahead for good midway through the second quarter then completely controlled the third to build a double-digit lead in front of a rowdy red-clad crowd growing more frustrated by the second.
In other games involving women’s Top 25 teams, MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 19 points, Chloe Kitts had 12 points and five blocks and No. 1 South Carolina handily won its first game with leading scorer Kamilla Cardoso out for Olympic qualifying in an 83-45 victory over Missouri. Cardoso is competing for her national team, Brazil, in attempting to reach the Paris Games. Without their 6-7 centerpiece, things got off to a rocky start for the Gamecocks (220, 10-0) as the team had two turnovers and missed three shots while Missouri (11-12, 2-8) opened a 6-0 lead. But soon enough South Carolina was off and running with a 37-12 burst behind some of its youngest players in Kitts, Ashlyn Watkins and Fulwiley. Kitts and Watkins, sophomores, and Fulwiley, a freshman, combined for 31 points during the run. … Hannah Stuelke scored a career-high 47 points, and Caitlin Clark had 27 points as No. 2 Iowa defeated Penn State 111-93. Clark, who was 8 of 23 from the floor, had 15 assists, but also committed a career-high 12 turnovers. But Clark was getting the ball to Stuelke, with 11 assists on her 17 field goals. Iowa (22-2, 11-1) won its fourth consecutive game to stay tied with Ohio State at the top of the conference standings. Ashley Owusu led Penn State (16-7, 7-5) with 18 points. … Cotie McMahon had 13 points and nine rebounds, Jacy Sheldon shrugged off a tough shooting night with 12 points and six assists, and No. 5 Ohio State beat Minnesota 71-47 for its 10th consecutive victory. Celeste Taylor added 14 points and Rebeka Mikulasikova scored 11 points to help the Buckeyes (20-3, 11-1) stay in first place in the Big Ten. Janay Sanders scored 16 points for the Gophers (14-9, 4-8). … Angel Reese had 15 points and 16 rebounds and Aneesah Morrow also had a double-double to lead a balanced LSU attack and the 13th-ranked Tigers used a quick start en route to an 85-62 win over Vanderbilt. Flau’jae Johnson had 17 points to lead the Tigers (20-4, 7-3). Iyana Moore scored 17 points for the Commodores (17-7, 4-6). … Mackenzie Holmes scored 18 of her 28 points in the second half, Yarden Garzon had 11 of her 20 in the fourth quarter and No. 14 Indiana won a shootout with Michigan State 94-91. Indiana (19-3, 10-2) is 11-0 at home this season. … Nyla Harris had 19 points and 10 rebounds, Sydney Taylor added 13 points including a key three-pointer in the fourth quarter, and No. 15 Louisville held off No. 12 Notre Dame 73-66 to spoil Hannah Hidalgo’s 30-point performance. The Cardinals (20-4, 9-2) led throughout but Hidalgo kept it close by dropping 22 points in the second half after a cold start. … Kaylynne Truong hit five three-pointers and scored 19 points to lead No. 19 Gonzaga over Pepperdine 83-46. The Bulldogs (23-2, 10-0) won their 31st consecutive home game. It was Gonzaga’s 13th consecutive win over the Waves (5-18, 1-9). … Dyaisha Fair scored 17 points, Izabel Varejao added 13 points in her first game since Dec. 4 and No. 23 Syracuse beat Georgia Tech 62-59 to snap a five-game losing streak in the series. Freshman Alyssa Latham had 12 points and eight rebounds for Syracuse (19-4, 9-3). Kara Dunn scored 17 points for Georgia Tech (14-10, 5-7).
TOP 25 MEN
Pelle Larsson had 27 points and eight assists to lead No. 8 Arizona to a 105-99 victory over Utah in triple overtime. Caleb Love added 19 points and 10 rebounds to help the Wildcats (18-5, 9-3) earn their third road win in conference play. Keshad Johnson chipped in with 17 points and Kylan Boswell added 16. Oumar Ballo grabbed 16 rebounds to go with 10 points. Branden Carlson led Utah with 27 points and 15 rebounds. Deivon Smith finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the Utes (15-8, 6-6).