Kitley scores 31 as No. 9 Virginia Tech holds on to beat Kansas 59-58

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands — Elizabeth Kitley had 31 points and 18 rebounds to help ninth-ranked Virginia Tech edge Kansas 59-58 on Friday in the Cayman Islands Classic.

Georgia Amoore hit a 3-pointer with 2:57 left to give the Hokies (4-1) a 59-58 advantage in a game that featured 17 lead changes and seven ties.

“It’s November and we’re still trying to figure ourselves out,” Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks said. “If you can win while trying to figure yourselves out, it’s a bonus.”

Kansas (2-2) had a few chances to take the lead after that, but Taiyanna Jackson missed two free throws with 1:46 left. The Jayhawks then turned it over on their next possession.

Amoore missed a jumper with under 30 seconds left and then the Hokies had a shot clock violation that gave Kansas one final chance. Ryan Dobbins attempt with a second left fell short.

“I think we just competed really hard and never fragmented,” Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said. “We tried to stick with the plan and stay aggressive.”

S’Mya Nichols led the Jayhawks with 13 points.

Kansas’ defense forced the Hokies into committing a season-high 21 turnovers.

“Kansas is a really good basketball team. I think they’ll be in the NCAA Tournament this year, so it’s a really good test for us while we try to figure ourselves out," Brooks said.

BIG PICTURE:

While the Jayhawks matched the Hokies in several statistical categories, assists were not one of them. Virginia Tech tallied 15 team assists to Kansas’ two.

UP NEXT:

Virginia Tech faces Tulane on Saturday.

Kansas plays No. 6 UConn on Saturday.

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