No. 18/18 Hokies hit the road for Clemson

Game time 2 p.m. Sunday

January 7, 2017

BLACKSBURG - The No. 18/18 Virginia Tech women's basketball team is hitting the road for the first time in ACC play, traveling to Clemson for a 2 p.m. game on Sunday.

GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: January 8, 2017 / 2 p.m.
Opponent: Clemson
Site: Clemson, S.C. (Littlejohn Coliseum)
Radio: 100.7 FM WNMX / HokiesXtra
Talent: Andrew Allegretta, play-by-play
TV: N/A
Live Stats: ClemsonTigers.com
Live Video: WatchESPN
Game Notes: Virginia Tech

THE HOKIES (14-0, 1-0 ACC)
Virginia Tech moved to 14-0 this season after defeating North Carolina 76-68 to open the ACC slate. Regan Magarity led the Hokies with 24 points and 17 rebounds. Sidney Cook chipped in a double-double of her own with 16 points and 13 boards while Chanette Hicks added a third, tallying 10 points, 10 assists. Samantha Hill recorded 14 points for Tech.

The Hokies came out strong in the first quarter, dropping in five from outside the arc in the opening 10 minutes as Tech led 24-16 at the end of the frame. UNC held the slight scoring advantage 16-13 in the second, but the Hokies were on top at the break 37-32. Tech extended its lead to 40-32, but the Tar Heels went to work, going on a 12-2 run to take their first lead of the game at 44-42 in the third. The Hokies answered with a 10-0 run over the next three minutes to reclaim the advantage, but UNC cut it to a 54-51 game with 1:03 to go and trailed 56-51 at the end of the third. Tech opened the final quarter on a 9-1 run to push the lead to 65-52 with six minutes remaining. The two teams traded baskets the rest of the way, as Carolina got no closer than seven to close out the game.

Hicks leads the Hokies, averaging 16.3 points, 5.6 assists and 4.8 steals per game. Cook is posting 14.6 ppg and 9.8 rpg. Magarity is averaging 13.4 ppg and 9.6 rebounds per game while Vanessa Panousis and Sami Hill are adding 10.1 ppg.

Virginia Tech is currently one of three teams in the NCAA unbeaten along with UConn and Mississippi State.

THE TIGERS (11-4, 0-2 ACC)
Clemson fell to No. 25 Syracuse 88-62 at home on Thursday night. Aliyah Collier led the Tigers with 25 points and six rebounds. Jaia Alexander added 10 points.

Clemson fell behind early after Syracuse used a 21-8 opening quarter to jump out to the lead. The second frame was more even with the Tigers outscoring the Orange 23-22, but Cuse was on top 43-31 at the break. The second half played out much the same while as the Orange again poured on the offense in the third, outscoring the Tigers 24-10 while the two teams were 21-21 in the final 10 minutes as ‘Cuse claimed the win.

Nelly Perry leads the team, averaging 14.5 points and 3.4 assists per game. Collier is adding 11.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

THE SERIES
This marks the 20th meeting between the Hokies and Tigers with CU holding a slight 10-9 advantage in the series. The Hokies won the contest last season 79-49 in Blacksburg, but the Tigers claimed the 63-54 victory the last time the two met at Littlejohn.

Panousis led the Hokies in 2016 game with 19 points while Magarity tallied 12. Rachel Camp came off the bench for 11 points and a team-high seven boards. Perry had 23 points for the Tigers while Collier notched 10 points, eight boards.

Up Next: Virginia Tech will travel midweek to No. 14/14 Miami for a 7 p.m. game on Wed., Jan. 11.

For updates on Virginia Tech women's basketball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_WBBall