Triangle teams gear up for ACC Women's Basketball Tournament

Friday, March 8, 2024

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WTVD) -- Everything looked set last week for No. 11 Virginia Tech to carry its late-season surge into the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. Instead, the reigning champions are reeling and concerned about the status of their star player.

The Hokies (23-6) arrive in Greensboro this week as the top seed after finishing atop the league's regular-season standings for the first time in program history. But their 10-game winning streak vanished with back-to-back losses. And it's unclear whether graduate center Elizabeth Kitley -- named league player of the year for a third straight season on Tuesday - will be able to play because of a left leg injury suffered last weekend at Virginia.

"We don't know anything yet," Hokies coach Kenny Brooks said Monday. "Obviously, we're just waiting and praying for good results."

Virginia Tech is the top seed and begins play in Friday's quarterfinals, part of a field that includes No. 10 North Carolina State, No. 14 Notre Dame, No. 20 Syracuse and No. 24 Louisville.

First Team All-ACC Aziaha James looks to help NC State win its fourth ACC championship in five years.
Karl B. DeBlaker

The 6-foot-6 Kitley was an Associated Press All-America third-team pick in 2022 and second-teamer last year, and the soft-shooting big is the program's all-time scoring and rebounding leader. She helped Virginia Tech follow last year's first ACC Tournament title by advancing to the program's first Final Four.

Kitley was hurt Sunday night with 6:05 left when her knee appeared to buckle when she landed on a transition layup. Kitley eventually walked off the court to the locker room and later returned to the bench but didn't play again.

It marks the second straight year that the top seed enters the tournament with a major injury question mark. Last year it was Notre Dame losing star point guard Olivia Miles in the regular-season finale.

The Fighting Irish didn't specify Miles' status until saying she would have season-ending surgery. But that announcement came days after Notre Dame had secured a No. 3 regional seed in the NCAA Tournament, while Miles went on to miss this year because of the same injury.

THE SCHEDULE

The tournament opened Wednesday with No. 13 seed Boston College knocking off 12-seeded Clemson 85-72 in the first of three first-round games. In the second matchup, Georgia Tech handled Pitt, 73-60.

In Wednesday's nightcap, No. 14 seed Wake Forest, who came in with only six wins in the regular season, stunned No. 11 Virginia 58-55 after trailing much of the second half. The Demon Deacons finished on a 23-9 run to end the game and pull off the shocker.

Duke freshman Oluchi Okananwa was named ACC Sixth Player of the Year.
Karl B. DeBlaker

Boston College moved on to play Louisville on Thursday at 11 a.m. Miami and UNC take the court at 1:30 p.m. In the afternoon session, Duke faces Georgia Tech and Florida State takes on the upset-minded Demon Deacons.

Syracuse is the No. 3 seed behind Virginia Tech and N.C. State, while Notre Dame is seeded fourth.

The championship is Sunday.

THURSDAY'S RESULTS

In the first game of the day, Boston College had multiple changes to pull off the upset but fell to Louisville 58-55. The Eagles missed a long 3-pointer as time expired that would have sent the tilt to overtime.

Ninth-seeded Miami overcame an early double-digit deficit to knock out No. 8 UNC 60-59 in a later second-round matchup.

It was a disappointing end for the Tar Heels, who now await to learn their NCAA tournament seeding.

Lazaria Spearman had 12 points and 10 rebounds and scored the go-ahead points as ninth-seeded Miami erased a 14-point deficit.

The Hurricanes (19-11) will play top-seed and No. 11-ranked Virginia Tech in Friday's quarterfinals.

Deja Kelly scored 15 points, though on just 6-of-20 shooting, and grabbed nine rebounds for the Tar Heels (19-12). Alyssa Ustby also scored 15 points and Lexi Donarski added 12.

Spearman scored on consecutive follows during a 10-0 run to give Miami the lead with 2:40 to go - its first lead since the opening minutes. Lattimore added a three-point play during which Spearman was called for an intentional foul for unnecessary contact. Donarski converted the awarded free throws and Kelly got the Tar Heels within a point on a drive with 1:54 left.

Neither team scored again, both turning the ball over twice, Spearman missing two free throws and Kelly missing two shots, including a final one in traffic that didn't reach the rim at the buzzer.

After shooting 50% in the first half, UNC finished at 36%, the same as the Hurricanes. Miami outrebounded the Tar Heels 41-32, including a 13-7 edge on the offensive glass for a 16-5 advantage on second-chance points. The Miami bench outscored UNC's 15-3.

UNC led 37-30 at halftime behind 11 points and eight rebounds from Kelly. The Tar Heels led 20-13 after one quarter and then used an 11-2 run early in the second to extend its lead to 14. Williams took an inbound pass with 5.5 seconds remaining and nearly fell dribbling through defenders before heaving a near-halfcourt shot that went in to get Miami within seven.

Duke was up next and Kennedy Brown scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half to help the Blue Devils defeat 10th-seeded Georgia Tech 70-58 on Thursday night.

Brown made her only shot of the first half but her teammates helped build a 38-26 lead. Behind Brown, the Blue Devils led by double figures for all but 54 seconds of the second half.

Duke advances to play NC State in the quarterfinals on Friday night.

Freshman Oluchi Okanawa, Duke's first-ever ACC sixth player of the year, led the Blue Devils (20-10) with 15 points. Ashlon Jackson added 11 points, all in the pivotal second quarter, and Jadyn Donovan had 10 on 5-for-5 shooting. Brown and Donovan had eight rebounds apiece to help hold a 42-27 rebounding advantage and 20-point difference in paint points.

LURKING WOLFPACK

N.C. State (25-5) spent nearly all year in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 poll and won the tournament three straight times before Virginia Tech's title last year.

"It's a lot of new people, a lot of new pieces, so to speak," Wolfpack coach Wes Moore said. "At least we know the formula, and know how we want to approach it and can go over there with some confidence."

STAR WATCH

Notre Dame freshman Hannah Hildalgo has been a star all season, averaging an ACC-best 23.8 points to rank third nationally. The 5-6 guard was named ACC rookie and defensive player of the year on Tuesday.

She averages a national-best 4.86 steals per game and is the only player nationally averaging at least 20 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 4.0 steals.

NCAA OUTLOOK

The ACC is set for another strong haul of bids to the NCAA tournament, starting with that group of five ranked teams. FSU, Duke and UNC also look on solid ground.