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.

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.

S’Mya Nichols led the Jayhawks with 13 points.

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

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.