FAIRFAX, VA- #24 Virginia Tech used a 15-0 run to end the first half as the Hokies pulled away from George Mason to win in dominant fashion, 81-52 on Sunday afternoon.
It was abundantly clear from the get-go that Mason’s defensive focus was on Elizabeth Kitley, a preseason Lisa Leslie Award Watch List member as well as preseason First Team All-ACC player. Kitley went off for 34 points on Thursday night at George Washington, but was held to just 6 points in the first half today against Mason.
GREAT defense by Mason the first two times down the floor. @24_is_life simply denying Elizabeth Kitley a post look. #BelieveBig #A10WBB
— Daniel Frank (@n1a2v3y4) November 14, 2021
Despite containing Kitley, Virginia Tech exerted their will on Mason early on, jumping out to a 21-10 lead with 2:16 left in the first quarter, before a 6-0 Mason run pulled the Patriots back to within reach at 21-16 early in the second quarter. That run was extended into an 11-3 George Mason run, as the Patriots made it a three-point game at 24-21 thanks to a Jordan Wakefield three with 5:45 before halftime.
Don't look now, but Mason is on an 11-3 run and we have a three point ballgame with #24 Virginia Tech! #BelieveBig #A10WBB
— Daniel Frank (@n1a2v3y4) November 14, 2021
Unfortunately for George Mason, that three from Jordan Wakefield was their final points of the half, as they were held without a point for the final 5:45 of the half. During that time, Virginia Tech exploded for a 15-0 run, capped off by an Elizabeth Kitley bucket with 28 seconds to play to give the Hokies a 39-21 lead heading into the locker room.
The third quarter was highlighted by a 12-3 run for Virginia Tech, which ballooned into a 18-5 run into the fourth quarter, giving the Hokies a 64-35 lead at the time. The fourth quarter as a whole was the Elizabeth Kitley show, as she scored 11 of her 23 points in the final period. The Patriots hung tough, only getting out-scored 23-19 in the fourth however, thanks in part to a combined 15 points in the fourth Jordan Wakefield, Tamia Lawhorne and Jayla Adams.
Final | #24 VA Tech 81 Mason 52.
A dominant showing from the Hokies today spoiling Mason's home opener. Elizabeth Kitley led all scorers with 23 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks. Jordan Wakefield led Mason with 16 points. #BelieveBig #A10WBB
— Daniel Frank (@n1a2v3y4) November 14, 2021
The fourth quarter also saw the season debuts of Milica Manojlovic, Rachel Balzer and Livija Kaktaite for Mason, with Manojlovic making her return to the Patriots’ lineup for the first time since December 19, 2020 against Ole Miss.
“It’s really important for them to get that jitter out,” said Vanessa Blair-Lewis. “It’s tough, basketball is the identity for most of our players, when that’s taken away, there’s a big part of them that’s taken away with it. So, not only to put the jersey on tonight and sit on the bench, but to get back out there in front of the crowd, and the big lights, no matter how many moments it was, that moment was big for them.”
“Virginia Tech is ranked for a reason, number 24 in the nation, and they showed why they’re ranked number 24 in the nation,” said Head Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis. “I thought our girls battled. We understood the game plan going in and it’s just something for us to continue to grow on.”
It wasn’t all negative for Mason: in addition to the three players making their season debuts, Jordan Wakefield had a great shooting day, going 4/7 from the field for 16 points, while Tamia Lawhorne added 14 points for the Patriots. Amaya Scott in her home-debut for George Mason had 9 points and a team-high 5 rebounds. The one area that really hurt Mason today was turnovers: they had 11 turnovers at the half, of which Virginia Tech produced 20 points off of. Mason cleaned things up in the second half, limiting themselves to just 5 more, for a total of 16 on the day, which isn’t a terrible total against such a high-quality opponent.
Overall, today was a learning experience for this group. They finally got a taste of success winning their first two games of the season, and now they’ve been dealt their first loss of the season. It will be interesting to see how they respond on Tuesday at Charleston Southern.
“All these games against high-ranked teams, they’re for us to compete in and see where we’re at for the season, so it was a great experience,” said Jordan Wakefield. It was great to see where we’re at for our next game.”
