Georgia Amoore and Elizabeth Kitley combined for 45 points as the No. 8 Virginia Tech Hokies defeated the Louisville Cardinals 75-67 to capture the first ACC championship (regular-season or tournament) in program history.
Virginia Tech had the best overall winning percentage of any team in the ACC this year. Led by the ACC Player of the Year in Elizabeth Kitley, the Hokies looked like the best team throughout the tournament, stifling the Miami Hurricanes and Duke Blue Devils en route to a dominant win over the Cards in the championship game.
For a team that was known for their dynamic offense all year, it was the Hokies’ defense that helped carry them to wins in this tournament. First, they held Miami to 42 points on below 25 percent shooting from the field. Even in a game where Virginia Tech didn’t shoot well themselves, they were able to contain Haley Cavinder and the Hurricanes by forcing them into contested shots.
Against a Duke team that was historically good on defense this year, it was timely and efficient shooting from beyond the arc that helped deliver the Hokies the victory along with more stifling defense. Duke struggled offensively all year so it’s hard to tell how much of that was excellent game-planning by Virginia Tech, but the most impressive part of…
