Ekh hits 7 3s, scores 27, No. 16 Va. Tech beats Rutgers 84-59 for Kenny Brooks' 500th win

Dec 18, 2023, 06:33 am

Matilda Ekh made seven 3-pointers and scored 27 points, Georgia Amoore added 18 points and eight assists and No. 16 Virginia Tech beat Rutgers 84-59 Sunday to give Hokies coach Kenny Brooks 500 career wins.

Brooks won 20 games in his first season with Virginia Tech in 2016-17 — the first 20-win season for the Hokies in more than a decade — and has won at least 20 games in each season except the 2020-21 campaign, including a program-record 31 wins last season.

Virginia Tech's only losses this season have come against No. 4 Iowa at the Ally Tipoff in Charlotte, North Carolina, and at No. 7 LSU. The Hokies (8-2), who are coming off their first Final Four appearance in program history, have won three games in a row.

Virginia Tech's Elizabeth Kitley made a layup to make it 15-all about a minute into the second quarter before Ekh sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around another 3 by Amoore to cap an 11-0 run that gave the Hokies the lead for good. Kassondra Brown made 1 of 2 free throws to snap Rutgers scoring drought of nearly four minutes and cut the deficit to 24-16 with 5:48 left in the first half. Ekh answered with two 3s and Amoore, again, hit a third in a 9-0 spurt that made it a 17-point game with 4 minutes before halftime.

Rutgers (6-8) trailed by double figures the rest of the way.

Kaylene Smikle led the Scarlet Knights with 22 points, her sixth game scoring 20-plus this season. The sophomore made just 5 of 14 from the field but hit 11 of 14 from the free-throw line. Brown added 15 points and Chyna Cornwell had nine points and 11 rebounds.

Virginia Tech hit 17 3-pointers — including five by Amoore — and limited Rutgers to just 15 field goals on 50 attempts (30%). Olivia Summiel made 4 of 4 from behind the arc and scored all of her 18 points in the second half for the Hokies.

Virginia Tech plays host to William & Mary on Thursday. Rutgers has nearly two weeks off before the Scarlet Knights play at Northwestern on Dec. 30.

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