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BLACKSBURG — Georgia Amoore scored 21 points as top seed Virginia Tech held off No. 9 seed South Dakota State 72-60 Sunday at a sold-out Cassell Coliseum in the second round of the NCAA Tournament’s Seattle 3 Region.
Elizabeth Kitley added 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Hokies (29-4), who won their 13th consecutive game, to advance to the Sweet 16 for just the second time in program history. They will play the winner of Monday’s matchup between No. 12 seed Toledo and No. 4 seed Tennessee.
Virginia Tech set a school record with its 29th win, breaking the mark of 28 set by the 1998-99 squad — the only other team in school history to advance to the Sweet 16.
Myah Selland led South Dakota State (29-6) with 17 points and nine rebounds.
The Jackrabbits entered the game with a 22-game winning streak, but aided by a raucous home crowd, the Hokies — who set a school record with their 16th home victory this season — jumped on the Jackrabbits early and never trailed.
Virginia Tech held South Dakota State scoreless for the final 7:03 of the first quarter in taking a 19-7 lead, then used a 10-0 run early in the second quarter to grab a 20-point advantage.
South Dakota State made things interesting late in the fourth quarter, cutting the Virginia Tech lead to 66-56 on a three-point play by Selland with 3:13 remaining. But Amoore hit two of her seven 3-pointers in the final two minutes to seal the game.
Taylor Soule added 13 points for Virginia Tech and Kayana Traylor finished with 11.
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South Dakota State: Selland scored 29 in the Jackrabbits’ win over Southern California in the first round but found the going much tougher against the Hokies, connecting on just 6 of 18 from the floor. She closed her career with 2,167 points, second on the school’s career scoring list.
Virginia Tech: The Hokies have played worthy of their top seed, winning each of their first two games in the tournament by double figures. Defense continues to be this team’s calling card in postseason play. In six postseason games, the Hokies have held all six opponents to worse than 40% shooting from the floor.