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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Virginia Tech (7-1) | 8 | 14 | 14 | 21 | 57 |
 (8) Tennessee (6-2) | 13 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 43 |
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Virginia Tech women’s basketball team took down No. 8/8 Tennessee 57-43 in a road game on Sunday afternoon at the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee.
“It was a great win for our program,” head coach Dennis Wolff said. “I’m really proud of the toughness that the team showed. We played a tough road game Thursday at Penn State and to come to a storied building like this with a history and get the win is great for our players.”
Vanessa Panousis knocked down 5-of-8 from outside the arc and connected on 6-of-6 from the line to lead the Hokies (7-1) with 21 points. Regan Magarity added 13 points, including a trio of shots from long range while grabbing seven rebounds and tallying three steals. Chanette Hicks added nine points, seven boards and three steals.
The win marks the first for the Hokies over the Lady Vols in program history. It also snapped Tennessee’s home win-streak of 45 against unranked teams. The Hokies last win over a top-10 team was in 2012 when Tech defeated then-No. 8 Maryland 75-69 in College Park, Maryland. Tech last started a season with a 7-1 record in 2007-08.
After getting off to a slow start in the opening quarter, Tech trailed the Lady Vols (6-2) 13-8 heading into the second frame. Tennessee took its largest lead of the game, going up nine with 7:22 to go until the break. The teams traded baskets on the next possessions, but the Hokies closed out the half strong, outscoring the Lady Vols 8-4 to go into the break down 25-22.
Magarity and Panousis came out firing in the third quarter, dropping in a pair of 3-pointers each on the Hokies first four possessions of the period as Tech took its first lead of the game off a Panousis long ball with 3:43 on the clock. Tennessee reclaimed the lead a minute later and held the 37-36 advantage heading into the fourth.
Panousis opened the fourth quarter with her fifth 3-pointer of the game to push the Hokies lead to two, but Tennessee scored back-to-back baskets to go back on top. A three ball from Hannah Young followed by a layup from Dominique Powell pushed Tech back in front with 6:37 to go. The Lady Vols would make just one final basket 10 seconds later as the Hokies closed out the game on a 13-0 run to seal the win.
The Hokies held Tennessee to just six points in the final quarter and just a 30.9 percent clip overall, including just 1-of-19 from behind the arc. Tech shot 50 percent in the final quarter from the field and was 42.2 percent overall, including 9-of-19 from outside.
“We said it would be our defense that would win the game,” Panousis said. “In the first half when we weren’t necessarily getting shots, we made the emphasis that our defense needed to stay up.”
Virginia Tech returns to Cassell Coliseum on Wednesday, Dec. 9 for a 7 p.m. game against Morgan State.
For updates on Virginia Tech women's basketball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_WBBall
