Elizabeth Kitley made a buzzer-beating layup to lift No. 13 Virginia Tech to a thrilling 63-62 victory over No. 3 NC State on Sunday. The Hokies shocked the Wolfpack at Cassell Coliseum in front of 8,925 fans -- the first regular-season sellout in Virginia Tech women's basketball history.
ELIZABETH KITLEY HITS THE GAME WINNER 🚨 @HokiesWBB pic.twitter.com/UkawwYeH2U
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) January 7, 2024
NC State had control most of the game, but the Hokies never backed down. The Wolfpack had a 60-49 lead before Virginia Tech went on a 12-0 run late in the fourth quarter. A layup by Kitley gave her team a 61-60 advantage with 1:28 remaining. However, NC State's Saniya Rivers had a huge drive and lay-in with 2.1 seconds left on the clock. It seemed like that would be the game-winner with Rivers keeping her team undefeated.
But after a 30-second time out, Cayla King came in clutch with a perfect inbound pass to Kitley, who took advantage of the opportunity. Here is another angle of that winning basket.
𝐀𝐧 𝐈𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 pic.twitter.com/63314FDxEs
— Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) January 7, 2024
"We work on those things at practice, so we were ready. Me and Cayla just have that connection," Kitley said after the game. "That's the second time we've done this. It feels really good to do it in Cassell with all these people. I'm glad we could get them a win."
Cassell absolutely rocks. THANK YOU HOKIE NATION🧡🧡🧡🧡
— Liz Kitley (@elizabethkitley) January 7, 2024
Kitley finished the day a double-double of 27 points and 12 rebounds. Georgia Amoore was also a solid contributor with 21 points, seven assists and two steals. No other Virginia Tech player scored more than six points. NC State was led by Madison Hayes and Rivers, who had 21 and 12 points, respectively.
Next up, the Wolfpack (14-1, 2-1 ACC) will look to bounce back when they host Virginia on Jan. 11. The Hokies (12-2, 3-0 ACC) will be hosting the Miami Hurricanes that same day.
