Takeaways from Tech's 86-63 victory over High Point Saturday night to close out the non-conference schedule

Hicks records six steals on day she was honored for setting the program's all-time record

December 17, 2017

BLACKSBURG – Chanette Hicks led Virginia Tech to its sixth straight victory of the season Saturday night from Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum. The junior guard scored 21 points, her season best, while also recording six assists and six steals.

The win moves Tech to 11-2 on the season, heading into ACC play after a break for the holidays.

Saturday’s result also served as the 36^th consecutive home win for the Hokies over non-conference opposition.

“I thought we did a good job pushing through,” Tech head coach Kenny Brooks said. “I said it was going to be a grind, just because I know where their minds are this time of year. It wasn’t because of lack of effort or anything, other than they were focused really on their academics. This time of the year is very tough.”

The Hokies trailed at the end of the first quarter and needed a 13-2 run spanning the second and third quarters to take the lead and pull away from High Point who shot 50 percent from beyond the arc.

Hicks led four Hokies in double figures, with her 21 points on 8 of 11 shooting, while Regan Magarity recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Taylor Emery added 16 points and Kendyl Brooks sparked Tech with four made triples for the third time in four games.

Emery guts one out – “Taylor Emery was the key to the game today for us because she just gutted it out,” Kenny Brooks said. “She’s hurting right now. She’s got a little bit of abdominal pain going on. They did what they can do to subside the pain and we didn’t even know if she was going to play before the game and she did a great job.

She played 34 minutes and even played at the four positon. Didn’t flinch, did what we asked her to do and it was a big key for us.”

Emery shot 5 of 9 from the field, which included connecting on three 3-point field goals. She also pulled down four rebounds and tallied a career best five assists.

Hicks could set even more records for Tech – Kenny Brooks remarked after the win, that point guard Chanette Hicks could graduate in first place in at least three major statistical categories.

“Realistically she could become the all-time leader in points, assists and steals,” Brooks said. “I want her to be all-time as far as leading Tech to post season wins, but she’s tremendous. She’s tremendous when she wants to be. She’s still not exactly a finished product but does a good job getting out, getting us going and getting us good shots.”

Hicks has ascended to No. 3 in program history in assists, with 402. She is averaging 6.9 assists per game this season, the 11th best mark in the nation.

She also figures to become the 25^th member of the 1,000-point club at Virginia Tech in the very near future. Hicks stands at 990 points for her career.

Hokies scoring at an impressive clip – This season the Hokies are averaging 80.7 points per game and have already eclipsed the 80-point mark seven times, one more than they did in Brooks’ first year at the helm. Tech has scored the second-most points in the country.

UP NEXT

The Hokies’ next contest will be their ACC opener against the NC State Wolfpack on Dec. 28 after final exams. The game will be the second part of a doubleheader, with the men’s program playing host to North Carolina A&T at noon. Tipoff for the women’s game is slated for 2:30 p.m., and the game can be seen on ACC Network Extra. The 28th also will be Montgomery County School Day when elementary and middle school students will receive complimentary admission to the game with a flier sent home from their schools.

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