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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Duke (18-10, 7-7) | 16 | 11 | 22 | 17 | 66 |
 Virginia Tech (15-11, 3-10) | 11 | 20 | 15 | 16 | 62 |
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BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech women’s basketball team battled Duke on Thursday night with the game going down to the wire before the Blue Devils were able to hold on for the 66-62 win in Cassell Coliseum.
"It's extremely disappointing,” head coach Dennis Wolff said. “The players should be commended on how they followed the game plan and how hard they played. We just didn't finish a couple plays on the defensive end and we hurt ourselves on a couple possessions right there at the end on offense."
Sidney Cook led the Hokies (15-11, 3-10 ACC) with 20 points including 3-of-4 from outside the arc. Hannah Young added 15 points while Vanessa Panousis tallied 11. Taijah Campbell grabbed a team-high six rebounds and added eight points. Chanette Hicks handed out seven assists and scooped up four steals.
The Hokies forced the Blue Devils into 22 turnovers resulting in 29 points. Tech gave up the ball just nine times. However, Blue Devils held a 40-24 advantage on the boards and outscored the Hokies 28-18 on points in the paint.
Duke took a five-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but a 3-pointer from Cook followed by a jumper from Young tied the game at 53-53 with 5:56 on the clock. Duke scored the next four, but the Hokies kept it close and cut it to 59-58 as Young connected from outside the arc with just over four minutes remaining. Duke moved back in front by three, but back-to-back baskets from Cook gave the Hokies a 62-61 lead with 1:54 to go. Tech was unable to connect in the final minutes as Duke closed out the game with a 5-0 run, securing the win.
The teams traded baskets in the opening quarter and were tied for the fifth time at 9-9 with 3:30 to go in the frame. Duke outscored the Hokies 7-2 in the final minutes to take the 16-11 lead into the second quarter. Duke scored the first points in the second period, but the Hokies answered with a 12-3 run to go on top 23-21 with 6:30 to go. The Blue Devils tied it up just over a minute later, but a 3-pointer from Cook put Tech back on top where the Hokies stayed for the rest of the frame, taking a 31-27 advantage into the break.
The Hokies extended their lead as Panousis drained a 3-pointer coming out of the break to put Tech on top 27-34. Duke responded, outscoring the Hokies 9-2 over the next three minutes to tie it up at 36-36. The Hokies again reclaimed the lead as Young and Cook connected on back-to-back 3-pointers. Tech extended its advantage to seven (46-39) off a Samantha Hill layup with 3:46 remaining in the third, but Duke closed out the period with a 10-0 run taking the 49-46 lead into the final 10 minutes.
Oderah Chidom posted a double-double for Duke with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Rebecca Greenwell dropped in 15 points and tallied nine boards while Angela Salvadores notched 10 points.
Virginia Tech will be back on the court on Sunday, Feb. 21 at Miami. Game time is set for 4 p.m. at the BankUnited Center.
For updates on Virginia Tech women's basketball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_WBBall
