TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Seminoles.com) — Florida State Women’s Basketball (6-5, 0-1) dropped their first ACC game of the season at home on Sunday afternoon, falling to Virginia Tech (9-3, 1-0), 92-75, at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
Virginia Tech junior center Elizabeth Kitley sparked the Hokies’ first win over FSU since 2013 with 34 points on 13-of-19 shooting along with 13 rebounds. Virginia Tech shot 56 percent from the floor.
“It was really disappointing,” FSU Head Coach Sue Semrau said. “I felt like we had some things under control, we were sticking with our game plan, and then for whatever reason the different frustrations allowed us to lose our focus and give up 92 points, which will never win in an ACC game.”
Senior guard Morgan Jones delivered her fifth career 20-point game, totaling 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting to lead the Seminoles. Senior Kourtney Weber had a nice shooting performance, finishing with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting as well as a team-high four assists.
“As a team I thought we could have given a lot more effort on defense and got a lot more stops,” Weber added. “Our offense was flowing, but having that defensive presence that we’ve always had…We’ve got to bring that back.”
FSU heads into the holiday break looking to turn around a three-game losing skid. It shot 47 percent from the floor and knocked down seven 3-point field goals, but lost the battle on the boards for the first time this year as Virginia Tech out-rebounded FSU, 33-24.
The Seminoles did a solid job of taking care of the basketball, only committing nine turnovers while adding 15 assists. Freshman point guard O’Mariah Gordon earned the starting nod on Sunday.
Junior Sammie Puisis chipped in with 10 points off the bench, which FSU out-scored the undermanned Hokies, 28-16. Virginia Tech’s Georgia Amoore had a strong game with 20 points and eight assists.
The first period looked hopeful for the Noles, providing them with their largest lead of the game at five points. Weber put up nine points alone in the first period, going 5-of-5 from the floor.
Virginia Tech started their dominance and took the lead early into the second period after scoring seven unanswered points. The Seminoles came back with five of their own to take the lead for the last time of the game. The Hokies sealed their lead with a half-court buzzer shot at the end of the first half by Amoore, taking a 46-38 lead at the half.
Virginia Tech dominated the second half, scoring 46 points to FSU’s 37. Jones finished the game with 21 points, making this her 10th consecutive game in double digit scoring.
“I have every belief in this team,” Semrau said. “We have really talented players that will figure it out.”
The Seminoles’ game at Kent State on Tuesday, December 21, has been canceled due to COVID protocols by the Golden Flashes. The Garnet and Gold will gear up next at Wake Forest at 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 30. The game will be streamed on the ACC Network Extra.
