RICHMOND - Virginia Tech women’s basketball had to grind for it, but the Hokies left with a 77-66 win over VCU in their first road game of the 2026-27 season.
The Rams came in at No. 116 on BartTorvik and gave Virginia Tech a real test, especially in a first half that ended tied at 30. VCU closed the second quarter on a 9-3 run over the final three minutes to keep things tight heading into halftime.
The night belonged to Jessie Dimaro, who put together a historic performance and helped Virginia Tech push through the rough patches. She finished with 23 points and 24 rebounds, while also breaking the Hokies’ single-game records for offensive rebounds with 17 and total rebounds with 24. She reached a double-double in the first 12 minutes, and by the first fourth-quarter timeout at 6:36, her 21 rebounds were more than VCU’s entire team had managed at that point.
“The funny part - I didn’t even know it was 200 wins until I walked in the locker room and the girls are throwing confetti at me,” Duffy aid.
Duffy’s milestone came in the same game she kept leaning on Dimaro’s work around the rim. Virginia Tech finished with a 52-27 rebounding edge, and Dimaro’s 17 offensive boards shattered the previous program mark by six. VCU finished with just three offensive rebounds, while Dimaro’s 24 total boards were the second-most in ACC history.
“Jessie’s a talent,” Duffy said. “...
She set the tone with her offensive rebounds and just has a knack to find the ball. We needed it, especially early in tat first half, just getting those second-chance points when we weren’t flowing and missing a lot of shots.
But those numbers are incredible.”
Dimaro was 4-of-6 for 12 points and seven rebounds in the first 10 minutes alone, then added eight more rebounds in the second half. Virginia Tech also made the most of her work on the glass, scoring 26 second-chance points while holding VCU without any.
The Hokies’ offense was uneven early, though. At halftime, Dimaro had 15 points and 15 rebounds, but the rest of the team was just 3-for-23 from the field. Outside of forwards Aniya Trent and Alyssa Latham, Virginia Tech’s other players were 0-for-18 in the opening half.
The second half looked much cleaner. Virginia Tech scored 47 points after the break and shot 17-of-38, while Dimaro added eight more points on 4-of-7 shooting. The Hokies also turned up the pressure in transition, outscoring VCU 22-8 on fastbreak points.
Carleigh Wenzel shook off an 0-for-8 start and finished with 17 points after making six of her next 12 shots. Latham gave Virginia Tech a major lift off the bench, scoring 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting for her best output in a Hokies uniform.
“[Latham] just had a huge spark for us, coming in, steadied us in the third and fourth quarter,” Duffy said, “and obviously, we were able to do enough at the end to hold off VCU.”
Junior guard Samyha Suffren added eight points and seven rebounds despite shooting 2-of-11, while Trent posted four points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
“I don’t think that any of our guards made too many shots in the first half, so we just tried to reset outrselves at halftime and just say, ‘Hey, if we’re moving the ball, let it fly, be confident,” Duffy said. “I thought Carleigh made some big buckets for us, played like a veteran. So critical on the road to have that poise, to be able to knock down shots, get a big rebound or get a big defensive stop.
“... Leila had a couple big buckets for us.
Then late in the game, Samyha, who struggled a little bit, hit a big three and a big pull-up. So, sometimes, it’s not what the ending numbers look like - it’s the timing of it.”
VCU had five players finish in double figures, led by Nicole Torresani’s 17 points. The Rams shot 57.1% in the second half, but Virginia Tech still outscored them 47-36 after halftime.
The difference was volume and control. The Hokies took 45 shots in the final 20 minutes, forced 10 VCU turnovers and committed only three of their own.
“Coach Duffy just instilled confidence into us, telling us that we do this every day,” Latham said. “We work on our shots; we work on our offense.
We prepared for this game. So, [it’s] just settling in, trusting our preparation and just being confident in what we do every day.”
Virginia Tech returns to Cassell Coliseum on Sunday, Nov. 15, to face La Salle. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. ET, and the game will air on ACC Network Extra.
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