College of Charleston
2-2
Virginia Tech
4-1
Cougars Beaten in Blacksburg, 81-47
11/23/2015 1:06:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BLACKSBURG, VA. – The College of Charleston fell to 2-2 on the season Sunday on an 81-47, as the Virginia Tech Hokies (4-1) proved too high a mountain to climb.
The start of the game looked promising for the Cougars, with Jackie Luna-Castro making the first five points for the College. After hanging tight through the first seven minutes though, the Hokies responded with Vanessa Panousis catching fire from deep, hitting three deep shots to score nine of the Hokies 13 points in the final three minutes. The Cougars would never properly re-group, as VT would go on to outscore CofC in every quarter thereafter.
“We missed out on a lot of opportunities,” said head coach Candice M. Jackson. “We missed several open shots, and we didn't crash the offensive boards the way that we should have. We didn't do a good enough job at locating their shooters. All of those things hurt us.”
Freshman Darien Huff was the lone Cougar to achieve double-digit scoring on the evening with ten points, chiefly by way of a 7-of-10 performance from the stripe. Senior Kelsey Booth came close to a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds, but was hampered by late foul problems. Nola Henry rounded things out with a season-high seven assists.
The Hokies were led by Vanessa Panousis, who sunk five threes on 5-of-8 shooting from deep. Chanette Hicks was also prominently involved with 14 points of her own. Virginia Tech had the edge in almost every meaningful statistical category. Their one sizable blemish was their propensity for getting into foul trouble and allowing the Cougars into the bonus in two different periods.
“We have to learn how to shoot the ball better and make adjustments earlier so we don't keep getting beat on the same plays and the same people over and over again. We really just need to learn how to play with a bit more intensity from the beginning.”
With their three-game road trip at last at an end, the Cougars will make their long-awaited return to TD Arena this week. They will have five full days to prepare for a noon showdown with the Charleston Southern Buccaneers (2-1).
