Blacksburg, Va. – Behind 20-point games from both Aisha Sheppard and Azana Baines, Virginia Tech downed Clemson 73-42 on Tuesday night in Blacksburg, Va. The win moves the Hokies to 17-6, 9-3 ACC on the year, while the loss drops the Tigers to 8-16, 2-11 ACC.
Amari Robinson led the Tigers with 14 points on the night, the only Tiger in double figures. Kionna Gaines finished with 8 points, while Eno Inyang finished with six points and six rebounds.
The Tigers kept it close early with seven offensive rebounds in the first quarter, but Virginia Tech used a 6-0 run to push their lead to 12 and force a Clemson timeout with 6:53 left in the second. The Tigers ended the half on an 11-3 run, including back-to-back baskets by Kionna Gaines to cut the Virginia Tech lead to four heading into halftime.
Virginia Tech used a 13-2 run to open the third to take a 15-point advantage. The teams traded baskets until the Hokies ended the quarter on a 6-0 run to take a 19-point lead into the game’s final 10 minutes. The Hokies continued to add to the lead, pushing it to 29 with 3:00 to go. The Tigers were held scoreless for the final 6:14 of the game, falling 73-42.
Clemson held one of the ACC’s leading scorers in Elizabeth Kitley to just two points on 0-2 shooting, but the Hokies got stellar performances from Baines and Sheppard to down the Tigers.
The Tigers are back in action after another quick turnaround, hosting Wake Forest inside Littlejohn at 2:00 p.m.
