Soule, No. 7 Virginia Tech women roll past UNC Asheville

Updated Dec. 11, 2022 3:14 p.m. ET

Associated Press

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Taylor Soule scored 21 points to lead No. 7 Virginia Tech to an 86-48 victory over UNC Asheville on Sunday.

Soule connected on 7 of 10 from the floor and added five rebounds for the Hokies, who moved to 10-0 for the third time in coach Kenny Brooks’ seven seasons. The victory sets up a top-10 showdown next weekend when the Hokies play host to No. 5 Notre Dame.

Jordaynia Ivie led UNC Asheville (4-4) with 16 points.

Virginia Tech, which never trailed, closed the first half with an 18-4 run to take a 41-19 lead at halftime. The Hokies built their lead to as many as 34 in the second half.

The Hokies, who entered the game ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense and 12th in field-goal percentage defense, held UNC Asheville to just 33.9% shooting (19 of 56).

Elizabeth Kitley added 20 points and 10 rebounds for Virginia Tech, which shot 50% percent (30 of 60). Georgia Amoore had 10 points and 10 assists.

TIP-INS

UNC Asheville: The Bulldogs played the last of their two nonconference games against Power Five teams this season. They lost to Florida and Virginia Tech by an average of 42 points.

Virginia Tech: The Hokies used the game to build some depth after losing starter Ashley Owusu this past week. Owusu underwent surgery for a broken pinkie finger on her shooting hand after injuring herself in the Hokies’ 85-54 win over Nebraska on Dec. 1. She is out indefinitely. Owusu was averaging 10.4 points per game.

UP NEXT

UNC Asheville: The Bulldogs host East Tennessee State on Saturday.

Virginia Tech: The Hokies host No. 5 Notre Dame on Sunday.

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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25