February 17, 2002

Sarah Hicks scored her 1000th career point, but it was the Virginia Tech post that dominated in a 74-52 BIG EAST Victory over Seton Hall in front of 3,014 spectators at Cassell Coliseum on Feb. 17. The win improved Tech's record to 17-7 overall and 8-5 in the BIG EAST. Seton Hall fell to 13-12 overall and 5-9 in conference play.

Tech's leading scorer, sophomore Ieva Kublina (Riga, Latvia), spent 18 minutes of the first half on the bench after picking up two quick offensive fouls in the first two minutes of the game. She knocked down her only two shots before leaving, but senior Nicole Jones (Vienna, Va.) and freshman Erin Gibson (Galax, Va.) filled in admirably. Gibson scored six points and Jones scored five in the first frame.

A 30-foot 3-pointer by Hicks (Roanoke, Va.) with no time left in the half gave the Hokies a 31-22 halftime lead.

However, Kublina came out well-rested in the second half, scoring 11 of Tech's first 16 points. The two teams traded baskets early in the half, but midway through the second frame, the Hokies went on an 11-2 run to grab a 56-38 advantage by the second media timeout.

Kublina tied a career-high with 24 points in the game and set a new career-high with 11 field goals made. In fact, Kublina was 11-of-11 from inside the 3-point line before missing her final attempt. She was 0-2 from 3-point land. Jones scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Gibson poured in 12 points and collected eight rebounds.

Hicks was kept in check by Cecilia Lindqvist for most of the game, but scored back-to-back baskets late in the second half to get her past the 1,000-point plateau. Head coach Bonnie Henrickson called a timeout and Hicks was honored for becoming the 13th player to accomplish the feat.

Reserve player Charlene Thomas paced Seton Hall with 21 points and six rebounds. Melissa Langelier contributed 14 points and Lindqvist tallied 13 points. Besides those three players, only Susan Murray scored for the Pirates.

Tech's next game will be played at Miami on Wednesday, Feb. 20 and will tip at 7 p.m. Seton Hall has six days off before going to Pittsburgh on Feb. 23. That game is slated to begin at 2 p.m.