On Sunday afternoon, Rutgers continued to struggle against ranked teams in an 84-59 loss to Virginia Tech. After getting off to a promising start, the Scarlet Knights have lost three straight games. Against the Hokies, their defense proved to be no match.
After the first quarter ended in a 13-13 tie, the Hokies began to build a lead they would not relinquish. They outscored the Scarlet Knights 43-26 in the second and third quarter.
Virginia Tech was led by Matilda Ekh, who scored 27 points and made seven 3-pointers. She got some help from Georgia Amoore, who scored 18 points. The Hokies got scoring from throughout the lineup as Olivia Summiel and Elizabeth Kitley also scored double digits.
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📊 https://t.co/RAMVWC9lcg #GoRU | #RUWBB pic.twitter.com/7qcP3Nzmfe— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) December 18, 2023
While Rutgers didn’t get the results they wanted, there were still a few bright spots. Kaylene Smikle continued to be a scoring machine, scoring 22 points. It was the first time in two weeks she reached the 20-point mark.
The biggest problem for Rutgers in this game was their inability to limit the Hokies offense. Virginia Tech had 15 offensive rebounds and only committed nine fouls. That helped them build a lead that Rutgers was unable to overcome.
Rutgers’s focus now shifts to their New Year’s Eve matchup with Northwestern. It will be their second conference game of the season.