Box Score Box Score

BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Wofford women’s basketball team started strong but could not keep up with Atlantic Coast Conference foe Virginia Tech through the entire 40-minute game in dropping a 75-60 decision Tuesday evening inside Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va.

Wofford followed an Andrea Barbour layup at 14:42 with a 7-0 run covering nearly three minutes, including a 3-pointer and jumper by sophomore Natalie Gramblin to take a 14-8 lead. Barbour then started and ended a 9-0 surge by the Hokies over the next three-and-a-half minutes as Virginia Tech (5-1) reclaimed the lead, 17-14, before sophomore Kelly Dwyer capped it with a jumper at 8:01.

The Terriers then used a three-minute scoreless period by the Hokies to climb back into the contest. Freshman Mahagony Williams had a drive and shot from 12 feet and junior Laura Depko nailed a field goal from the top of the key to knot the score at 23-23 at the under four-minute media timeout.

Brittany Cook then took control for Virginia Tech, scoring nine of the team’s final 11 points of the half to open a nine-point cushion at halftime, 34-25. Senior Kelsi Koenig, the current Southern Conference Player of the Week, netted the only Wofford (2-2) field goal in the final stretch before the break as the Hokies went on an 11-2 run.

Cook continued to pour in the points early in the second half, hitting three more field goals and a free throw on the back-end of an old-fashioned three-point play to push the gap to 11, 52-41, with 11:35 showing on the clock.

Sophomore Kathlyn Varno then gave the Terriers a spark by making a three-point play and another layup to close the deficit to 10, 58-48, before Barbour led another VT streak by scoring six in a row as the Hokies built a 13-point edge, 64-51, at the under four-minute timeout.

Barbour would give Virginia Tech its largest lead at 17, 70-53, with 2:04 to play but freshman Ashley Kroker hit a 3-pointer from the corner and Depko added a pair of free throws under a minute for the final margin.

Depko led Wofford with a season-high 11 points, just three shy of her career-best effort. She was the only Terrier in double figures as Koenig chipped in nine and junior Summer Nichols added eight. Koenig also had a team-high nine rebounds with Williams tallying a career-best five blocked shots. Wofford finished with an 11-2 edge on blocks.

The Hokies were led by a trio of starters in double figures, paced by a game-high 19 points from Cook. Barbour added 18 points, while Utahya Drye contributed 13. Amber Hall matched Koenig’s work on the glass with eight rebounds, despite the Terriers holding a 42-39 advantage on boards.

Wofford will return to action when it opens Southern Conference play at 1 p.m. Saturday against Elon inside the Benjamin Johnson Arena.