Despite a season that was cut days short of reaching the ultimate goal of a return to the NCAA Tournament, the Virginia Tech women’s basketball team had a remarkable 2019-20 season that was filled with record-breaking performances, monumental wins and enough memories to last a lifetime.
1 – Head coach Kenny Brooks and his Lady Hokies had one of the program’s greatest seasons ever.
This team’s journey began in the summer with workouts and an incredible trip overseas to France and Italy in August. The squad came together as a family over the course of the 12-day trip that included exhibition games and numerous cultural experiences.
Tech welcomed seven new players into the mix including heralded grad transfer Taja Cole, who graduated from Georgia and was included on the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List. Joining her was grad transfer Lydia Rivers from nearby Radford and four true freshmen and transfer Asiah Jones, who would sit out the entire season fulfilling her transfer requirements.
The Hokies, who were the 10-seed in the 2019 ACC Tournament, were chosen tenth by the league’s head coaches and media members alike in October. Kenny Brooks and the squad got to work and showed the world just how wrong the preseason poll was.
When the season got under way, only four Hokies on the roster had played a minute of basketball in maroon and orange. With the announcement that guard Kendyl Brooks would not be available during the season, that number dwindled to three.
Nov. 5. 2019: Season opener vs. St. Francis: Tech 105 St. Francis 41
The season tipped off on November 5 with a matchup with Saint Francis. The starting five on Carilion Clinic Court was Taja Cole, Dara Mabrey, Aisha Sheppard, Trinity Baptiste and freshman center Elizabeth Kitley.
Tech started the season with a strong offensive effort, scoring 105 points, the most in a home game in program history. The squad had five players in double figures, and six newcomers scored baskets led by Kitley, who scored 27 in her Virginia Tech debut on 13 of 15 shooting. The center’s performance was the second-best in program history for a player making her Tech debut.
November 11, 2019: Kitley earns first Freshman-of-the-Week honor
Kitley earned ACC Freshman of the Week honors after averaging 17.5 points as the Hokies started the season with victories over Saint Francis and George Mason. In the Hokies’ second game at George Mason she tallied eight points and eight rebounds in her first collegiate road game.
December 5, 2019: Big Ten/ACC Challenge: Tech 67 Purdue 54
Tech defeated Purdue in the annual challenge 67-54, holding the Boilermakers to zero field goals beyond the arc. Lydia Rivers made her first start in a Virginia Tech uniform, scoring five points and pulling down six rebounds. Dara Mabrey led the Hokies with 17 points and knocked down four 3-pointers, climbing into ninth place all-time in that category. Taylor Geiman made her Cassell Coliseum debut, registering one assist.
The win was the Hokies’ fifth consecutive in the competition. Tech and Florida State are the only two ACC programs to own an active streak of five or more victories in the competition.
December 8, 2019: Cassell Coliseum: where non-conference foes go to lose
The Hokies defeated visiting Gardner-Webb 87-65 behind double-doubles from Elizabeth Kitley and Trinity Baptiste to secure the program’s fifth consecutive season with an unblemished mark at home versus non-conference opposition.
Baptiste pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds and also scored 17 and Kitley recorded 18 points and 11 rebounds to complement Dara Mabrey’s game-high 22-point effort to lead the Hokies to an 8-1 start to the season heading into the Daytona Beach Invitational.
December 21, 2019: Another program record
During the Hokies’ 84-63 victory over Wichita State, the Hokies poured in 18 triples, setting a new mark for the program. Aisha Sheppard led the team with six, while Trinity Baptiste, Taylor Geiman and Taja Cole had three each, Dara Mabrey connected on two and Cayla King added one.
Three players — Cole (15 points, 10 assists), Baptiste (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Lydia Rivers (11 points, 12 rebounds) — tallied double-doubles.
In the final minutes, Chloe Brooks, who has battled nerve damage in her foot, got her first collegiate minutes, entering with two minutes to play and helping the Hokies close out the game.
January 2, 2020: Sheppard shoots her way to history
Tech ultimately fell to No. 9 NC State 76-69, but junior guard Aisha Sheppard set a career-best with 28 points in the contest and had a record-breaking performance from beyond the 3-point arc. Sheppard finished the game 8 for 15 from downtown, tying the school record for triples made in a single contest and setting the new mark for an ACC game.
January 5 & 9, 2020: Hokies notch first two league victories
Tech got into the win column in league play for the first time with a 76-70 victory over visiting North Carolina on January 5. Four Hokies were in double figures, and Tech held the Heels to 38% shooting from the floor in the victory.
The Hokies made it two in a row on January 9, earning a 68-56 victory over Pitt. Taja Cole led all scorers with 21 points in the game. She also had six rebounds and six assists.
January 19, 2020: Commonwealth Clash triumph
For the first time since 2016, the Virginia Tech women’s basketball team went into John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville and earned a win, 69-61 over the rival Cavaliers. All five of Tech’s starters scored in double figures, and the Hokies took advantage of the free-throw line (18-22) to secure the win and improve to 3-3 in ACC play.
The win also served as the program’s 700th.
January 23 & 26, 2020: Three straight
Following the triumph at Virginia, the Hokies reeled off two more victories, first against Boston College (70-49) and then again against Clemson (71-50).
The Hokies stood at 4-0 in ACC home games, the best start to a season in program history.
February 2, 2020: Brooks’ first basket
In the final minutes of Tech’s 69-45 blowout of Miami, redshirt freshman guard Chloe Brooks came off the bench and attempted her first career field goal, a 3-pointer from the wing in transition set up by Taja Cole. She buried it, scoring her first collegiate points and sending the bench and Cassell Coliseum into a frenzy.
February 9, 2020: Seven wins and counting
Tech traveled down Tobacco Road to take on North Carolina for the second time in 2019-20, looking to get back to its winning ways after the first home defeat of the season at the hands of seventh-ranked NC State.
The Hokies, who carried a 3-point lead into the fourth quarter pulled away down the stretch to win at Carmichael Arena for the second consecutive trip 72-63. It was the team’s seventh ACC win of the season, setting a new program record.
February 13-20, 2020: Four consecutive league wins
For the first time in program history, the Hokies won four consecutive ACC games: at North Carolina 72-63; Georgia Tech 64-61 (OT); at Wake Forest 73-62; at Notre Dame 68-62.
The three-game road winning streak during that span also represented the first time in program history that had occurred. Tech visited South Bend and came away with a victory over the Fighting Irish for the first time in program history as well.
February 17, 2020: Kitley picks up second Freshman-of-the-Week honor
Elizabeth Kitley helped the Hokies claim two victories during the week, scoring 35 total points and grabbing 18 rebounds. In the overtime victory over Georgia Tech, the freshman scored 14 points on 5 of 11 shooting. Then on Sunday afternoon, she led the Hokies with 21 points on 9 of 14 shooting from the floor as Tech earned its third consecutive league win, taking their season tally to nine. She also registered a double-double with 14 rebounds against the Demon Deacons, her fourth of the season.
For the week, she averaged 17.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. She earned ACC Freshman of the Week for the second time this year, becoming the first Hokies player to do so.
February 20, 2020: Hokies defeat Notre Dame, Coach Brooks reaches milestone
With Tech’s 68-62 victory at Notre Dame, the program notched its 20th victory for the fourth season in a row.
For Head Coach Kenny Brooks, the win marked the 15th straight season he has guided a team to 20 or more wins, the longest active streak among ACC coaches.
February 23, 2020: Sheppard sets career high on Senior Day
Aisha Sheppard hit eight 3-pointers in a game for the second time this season in the Hokies’ loss to Virginia 86-76. She scored a career-best 32 points in the game on 10-of-22 shooting from the field. No player scored more points in an ACC game during the 2019-20 season.
The eight 3’s represent the most a player has made in a single game at Cassell Coliseum.
She also surpassed teammate Dara Mabrey’s record of 80 threes made in a single season with her 81st.
February 24, 2020: Kitley receives back-to-back Freshman-of-the-Week awards
For the week, freshman center Elizabeth Kitley averaged 17.5 points and 9.5 rebounds while shooting 56% from the floor. She earned ACC Freshman of the Week honors for the third time this year, the only player to be recognized three times for the award by the league office.
Kitley registered her second consecutive double-double with a 19-point, 10-rebound effort in Tech’s road victory over Notre Dame. She added a career-high four assists in the game and had eight blocks, also a career-best.
On February 23 against Virginia she recorded 16 points on 6 of 11 shooting from the field and pulled down nine rebounds.
February 27, 2020: The conclusion of a special season at Cassell Coliseum
In the final home game of the 2019-20 season, Tech welcomed Duke for a rematch of a January 12 meeting that went to the Blue Devils in overtime. Duke entered as the hottest team in the league with a six-game winning streak and having won eight of nine in the league.
Elizabeth Kitley recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 boards and Tech buried eight 3’s to defeat the Blue Devils 70-56.
With the win, the Lady Hokies completed their home slate 13-2, the best winning percentage since the 2002-03 season.
The win served as Tech’s 11th in the ACC, establishing a new record for a single season.
Aisha Sheppard went 3 for 5 from beyond the arc in the game, the 35th consecutive game that she had connected on a triple, a program record.
March 1, 2020: Aisha Sheppard reaches 1,000-point plateau
In the regular season finale on the road against fifth-ranked Louisville, Aisha Sheppard became the 28th woman in program history to score 1,000 points in her career.
Despite a loss, Tech locked up the fifth seed for the 2020 ACC Tournament, the best finish in program history.
March 2, 2020: Trio earns All-Conference honors
Aisha Sheppard First Team All-ACC
Sheppard had a stellar junior campaign, leading the Hokies in scoring at 15.21 points per game, the eighth-best average in the league. She scored in double figures in 24 of the Hokies’ contests and set a new personal best with a 32-point effort at home against Virginia.
The conference’s leader in 3-point field goals, Sheppard twice notched eight triples in a game, tying the program record. She also made more threes than any other ACC player for the season. She ranked second in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.378).
Her 84 made triples are a program record for a single season and for her career, Sheppard has cemented herself in second place all-time at Virginia Tech with 219 made three-pointers.
Elizabeth Kitley All-ACC Freshman Team
Kitley’s impact on the court was felt from the opening tip when she scored 27 points in her collegiate debut, going 13 for 15 from the field. The freshman center finds her season totals littering the Virginia Tech record book with her 60 blocks ranking sixth all-time, her 56.4% shooting percentage sixth, and her conference field goal percentage (.573) and block total (41) setting new records.
She started every game for the Hokies this season.
Taja Cole All-ACC Defensive Team
Cole, a grad transfer, started every game for the Hokies and led the conference in assists with 191, the third-highest total in the nation. On the defensive end, she recorded 42 steals averaging 1.45 per game.
Cole averaged 9.7 points per contest, 6.6 assists and 5.0 rebounds. Her 1.80 assist to turnover ratio ranked fourth in the league. Her 121 assists in ACC play was a new league record. Her 11 assists against Notre Dame was an ACC single-game record.
Cole’s 528 career assists place her 16th amongst active players in Division 1. Her total is the highest for anyone who has played in fewer than 103 games.
March 3, 2020: Kitley league’s Freshman-of-the-Year, Baptiste named Sixth Player of the Year
For the first time in ACC women’s basketball history, the Freshman of the Year and Sixth Player of the Year were Hokies, as Elizabeth Kitley and Trinity Baptiste collected the honors from the conference office.
Starting all 29 Hokies games, Kitley averaged 12.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. She was second in the ACC with 60 blocks
Baptiste, a junior forward, started the first seven games of the season before transitioning to her role as an impact player off the bench, averaging 9.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game over the course of the 2019-20 campaign.
The Tampa, Fla., native recorded four double-doubles on the season (all points and rebounds) including two in back-to-back contests against Purdue and Gardner-Webb in December. Against the Runnin’ Bulldogs, Baptiste pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds.
Virginia Tech was 11-1 in games in which Baptiste scored in double figures with the lone loss coming in the regular season finale against fifth-ranked Louisville, the ACC champions.
She went for a season-high 20 points on two different occasions, the first vs. Maryland Eastern Shore (Nov. 19) and again vs. Boston College (Jan. 23).
On the season Baptiste shot 44% from the field and led the Hokies in free-throw shooting at 84%. She also shot 38% from beyond the arc.
In total, Tech’s award haul of one first-team All-ACC player, an All-Freshman Team member, an All-Defensive Team member and the addition of the Freshman of the Year and Sixth Player of the Year winners makes the 2019-20 season by far the most lauded postseason award class since the school joined the ACC.
