January 5, 2002

Syracuse gave the Virginia Tech women's basketball team a stern test, but the Hokies prevailed 62-56 in a BIG EAST showdown on Jan. 5 in Cassell Coliseum. The win boosts Tech's record to 11-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play, while Syracuse drops to 9-5 and 1-1.

Syracuse raced out to the early lead by pounding the ball inside and using a stifling zone defense. However, Tech's shooting warmed up, which allowed them to find the chinks in the Orangewomen's defense. The Hokies closed out the first half on a 10-2 run and took a 33-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The lead stayed in that area for most of the second half, but with under six minutes to go in the game, Syracuse went on a 15-6 run and cut the lead to three with 1:40 left to play. But the Hokies buckled down, made their free throws, and a big block by sophomore Ieva Kublina (Riga, Latvia) sealed the win.

Kublina registered 24 points and 10 rebounds for her seventh career double-double and second in as many games. She also blocked six shots for the second game in a row. Senior Nicole Jones (Vienna, Va.) also tallied a double-double with a 13-point, 10-rebound effort. Sarah Hicks (Roanoke, Va.) contributed 14 points to the Hokie cause. Jazmine Wright and Jaime James paced Syracuse with 12 points apiece.

The win increases Tech's win streak to eight games and keeps the Hokies unbeaten at home on the year. Tech will next be in action Jan. 9 when Boston College comes calling at Cassell Coliseum for a pivotal early-season BIG EAST matchup.

"That shapes up to be a pretty big game," Tech head coach Bonnie Henrickson said. "We had some great games with them last season, so we're looking forward to it."

The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off.