Virginia Tech wasted no time putting NC Central in a hole Monday night at Cassell Coliseum, and by the end of the opener the Hokies had rolled to an 85-39 win.
The final margin told the story, but the early stretch set the tone. Virginia Tech came out with enough force to build a cushion that never really felt in danger, and by halftime the Hokies were already well on their way to clearing the 34.3-point projected spread from Bart Torvik’s metrics. NC Central entered the night ranked No. 341 of 363 teams, and the Eagles looked every bit like a team trying to survive a long evening against a deeper, sharper opponent.
Defense was the separator all night. Virginia Tech held NC Central to a miserable 14-of-60 shooting overall, including a second quarter in which the Eagles went 0-for-13 from the field. That stretch helped the Hokies steady themselves during their own rough patch on offense, when they managed only 15 points in the quarter, but the lead barely budged because NC Central could not generate anything clean.
The Eagles finished with 29 turnovers, and Virginia Tech turned those mistakes into 30 fast-break points. NC Central never found a rhythm, going just 5-of-32 in the first half before briefly improving with a 6-of-12 third quarter.
Even then, the final period brought more trouble, as the Eagles slipped back to a 3-of-14 showing. In the second half, they scored only four points from the free-throw line and missed all 13 of their shots from the floor.
Guard Leila Wells pointed to the defensive pressure as the foundation for everything else.
"That was the emphasis coming into our first game - having really good effort on energy because that's where a lot of things start," said guard Leila Wells. "Our defense turns into offense. We forced them into 29 turnovers - so I think [it's] really good for us."
Virginia Tech’s own shooting was uneven at times. The Hokies finished 34-for-78 from the field and 5-of-24 from 3-point range, and they were just 3-for-11 from deep in the opening half. Carleigh Wenzel had a slow start from the perimeter, missing five of her first eight shots and going 1-of-5 from beyond the arc before halftime, but she still led the team with 11 first-half points and finished with 17 on 5-of-14 shooting.
"Proud of our team six in double figures," Duffy said
The game also opened the door for a long look at Virginia Tech’s younger players. Freshmen Kaleo Anderson, Francesca Baldassarre and Arianna Harris-Mott all saw action, and redshirt freshman Kate Sears got her first minutes under the NCAA’s old eligibility rules. Anderson scored nine points on 4-of-7 shooting, while Sears added two points, five assists and a tie for the team high in assists with sophomore forward Aniya Trent.
Jessica Dimaro had the kind of debut that stands out immediately. The freshman from Japan posted 13 points and 13 rebounds in her first college game, becoming the first Virginia Tech freshman to record a double-double with at least 13 points and 13 rebounds since Elizabeth Kitley on Feb. 16, 2020, per Virginia Tech communications.
"She has a motor, she cares about rebounding, she wants to be great defensively," Duffy siad. "I thought she set the tone for our team right off the bat, which was great for her to get some experience with that. We see it every day in practice; she's capable of getting big numbers on the rebounding side, whether that's on the offensive glass or obviously owning the paint inside."
Suffren also liked what the freshmen brought to the floor.
"I'm not surprised," Suffren said. "The way they practice and the way they show out everyday... it's not a surprise to the team - because we know what they can do.
Kaleo can get downhill; she can shoot, three-level scorer. Amani [Jenkins] can do the same, pick-and-pop, anything.
And then, we have Jessie [Dimaro]; she's athletic, can get downhill, she has good IQ. It's just the best of both worlds with all three of them."
Sophomore forward Amani Jenkins made her presence felt too, going a perfect 5-of-5 from the field for 13 points and adding four rebounds. Trent, making her first career start, finished with two points, three boards, five rebounds and two steals.
For a season opener, Virginia Tech got what it needed: a lopsided win, a defensive statement and meaningful minutes for a group that may matter more as the season goes on. The Hokies will be back on the floor Wednesday, Nov. 4, against Delaware at 6 p.m. ET on ACC Network Extra.
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