ABILENE, Texas (Interstat) — Virginia Tech cruised to a 79-42 victory over SMU in a nonconference women’s basketball game Thursday night at Moody Coliseum. The Hokies (14-5) never trailed, building a 32-19 halftime lead and extending it with a 25-point third quarter. Kilah Freelon led Virginia Tech with 18 points. Samyha Suffren also scored 18, and Carys Baker added 15. Anaya Brown scored a game-high 22 points for the Mustangs (7-11), who shot just 22.2% from the field. Virginia Tech’s defense forced 21 turnovers and held SMU to an offensive rating of 53.1 points per 100 possessions. The announced attendance was 1,191.

ABILENE, Texas (Interstat) — In a performance defined by suffocating defense and offensive efficiency, the Virginia Tech women’s basketball team delivered a commanding 79-42 victory over SMU on Thursday night at Moody Coliseum. The Hokies, now 14-5 overall, seized control from the opening tip and never relented, holding the Mustangs to a season-low in points and a dismal 22.2% shooting from the field. SMU’s record fell to 7-11. The most decisive stretch of the game arrived in the third quarter. Leading 32-19 at halftime, Virginia Tech extinguished any lingering hope for the home team with a blistering 25-point quarter. The Hokies shot 50% from the field in the period, punctuated by a 9-0 run early in the frame that pushed their lead to 23 points and effectively put the game out of reach. Virginia Tech’s defensive pressure was the story of the night. The Hokies forced 21 SMU turnovers, converting them into 24 points, while also recording 11 steals and seven blocks. SMU managed just 12 made field goals on 54 attempts and connected on only 3 of 18 from three-point range. The Hokies’ own offensive rating of 99.8 on 79 possessions starkly contrasted with SMU’s anemic 53.1 rating on the same number of trips. Kilah Freelon, a 6-foot-1 sophomore from Denver, Colorado, led all scorers with 18 points, adding two assists and two blocks in just 26 minutes. Her presence in the paint was instrumental on both ends. Samyha Suffren, a 5-8 guard from Charlotte, North Carolina, provided a major spark off the bench, matching Freelon’s 18 points while contributing two steals and two blocks. Virginia Tech’s scoring was balanced and relentless. Carys Baker, a 6-2 guard from West Hartford, Connecticut, finished with 15 points and a team-high four assists. Carleigh Wenzel, a 6-0 guard playing in her home state of Texas, added 10 points and three assists. The Hokies’ depth was evident as nine players scored, and the team assisted on 11 of its 30 made baskets. SMU struggled to find any consistent offensive rhythm outside of Anaya Brown. The 6-1 forward from Lexington, Kentucky, fought hard for a game-high 22 points, playing 37 minutes and grabbing two blocks. However, she received little support; the next highest scorer for the Mustangs was Zahra King with eight points. SMU’s ball movement was stifled, resulting in only seven assists. The Hokies set the tone early, building a 16-8 lead after the first quarter and extending it to 32-19 by halftime. SMU never threatened in the second half, as Virginia Tech’s lead ballooned to as many as 37 points. The Hokies dominated the glass, outrebounding SMU 48-34, including a 13-5 advantage on the offensive boards that led to 15 second-chance points. Virginia Tech, which entered the game as a heavy favorite according to predictive metrics, has now won three of its last four games. The Hokies return to Atlantic Coast Conference play next Thursday when they host Clemson. SMU, which has lost four of its last five, continues its league schedule on the road Sunday at Pittsburgh. The announced attendance was 1,191.

ABILENE, Texas (Interstat) — A surging Virginia Tech women’s basketball team looks to continue its climb in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings when it visits struggling SMU on Thursday night at Moody Coliseum. The Hokies (13-5) have won two straight, including a dominant 78-56 victory over Boston College last Sunday. They will face a Mustangs squad (7-10) mired in a four-game losing streak, all against ACC opponents. Virginia Tech’s success has been fueled by balance and defense. In the win over Boston College, Kilah Freelon nearly posted a double-double with 9 points and 9 rebounds, while Carys Baker led all scorers with 17 points. Freelon has been a consistent force, averaging 9.7 points and 7.7 rebounds over her last six games, highlighted by a 17-rebound performance against Radford last month. SMU will lean on guard Zahra King, who has been a bright spot during the skid. King is averaging 16.5 points over her last four games, including a 22-point effort in Sunday’s 91-54 loss at North Carolina State. However, the Mustangs have struggled defensively, allowing an average of 81.5 points during their four-game slide. This is the first-ever meeting between the programs as ACC foes. Virginia Tech has shown resilience on the road this season, securing key wins at Florida State and Syracuse. SMU will need to improve its perimeter defense and find secondary scoring behind King to challenge the Hokies. The matchup pits Virginia Tech’s efficient, team-oriented attack against an SMU team searching for consistency. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST Thursday.