Syracuse Women Fall to #19 Virginia Tech to Snap 15-Game Home Winning Streak

The Hokies knocked off the Orange in the JMA Wireless Dome.

The Syracuse Orange women fell to the 19th-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies with a final score of 75-62 due to the stellar play of star point guard Georgia Amoore (29 points). After 20 games, they sit at 17-3, looking to bounce back on the road against 18th-ranked Lousiville on the first of February.

Georgia Amoore was the best player on the floor in today’s game, and a big reason why Virginia Tech was able to get a huge ACC road win.

“I think honestly she just played her game, that’s what she does,” said Alaina Rice.

To kick off the game, SU had a rough start, primarily due to a three-point shooting barrage from Amoore and company (three of four for Amoore, five of seven as a team) putting the Orange down 23-9 at the end of the first quarter.

Rice scored the first four points for Syracuse while Dyaisha Fair followed up with five points of her own. Amoore had 13 points in the quarter, but got two fouls, leading to her sitting out most of the second quarter.

Syracuse raised the energy by pressing and forcing some turnovers early in the second quarter, kickstarting a small comeback.

Fair and Georgia Woolley led the offense, with Woolley scoring eight points in the quarter and Fair scoring five. Virginia Tech hit three more three-pointers to help maintain the lead.

Elizabeth Kitley struggled in the first half scoring-wise, shooting 1-9 from the field with two points (season average entering the game was 22.7 points per game).

“Our two upperclassmen played relentless and they played communicatively, and they really flew around and boxed out,” said Coach Legette-Jack. “I really like what Kyra and Saniaa did.”

Despite Kitley’s struggles, entering the half, the score stood at a close 36-32 in favor of Virginia Tech.

In the third quarter, with Amoore back from foul trouble, Virginia Tech’s offense looked much more comfortable. Amoore added eight points to bring her scoring total to 21, leading all scorers despite playing in only two of three quarters.

Woolley carried the scoring load for Syracuse, scoring eight points in the quarter to lead SU with 16 points after three quarters. Fair did not score in the quarter, and Kitley continued to struggle, entering the fourth still with two points.

The final quarter started with a Kitley layup, but she soon got her fourth foul and got subbed out. However, that was the story of the game for Virginia Tech, as Amoore, Matilda Ekh, and Cayla King made up for her down game of only six points (3-13 shooting), with Ekh putting up 14 points and King putting up 13 points along with Amoore’s 29.

The Orange hung around for as long as they could, but couldn’t quite get their offense going for most of the quarter, eventually falling 75-62 on the back of Amoore’s eight points in the quarter (6-6 from the free throw line).

Dyaisha Fair finished with 16 points, moving up to ninth all-time in scoring in women’s NCAA Division I basketball. Woolley added 16 points of her own, while Rice added 14 points.

Despite the tough loss, Coach Legette-Jack is confident in her squad and looking forward to the rest of the season.

“I want to continue to grow with them and love them up and let them know that just because you lost a game doesn't mean you have to lose my heart,” said Legette-Jack. “If we can continue to do that, I think we're going to have a winning season throughout the rest of the year.”

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