The Virginia Tech women's basketball team started its 2020-21 campaign with a convincing 85-64 victory over Richmond Wednesday at Cassell Coliseum behind five players in double figures led by Georgia Amoore's 19. 
 
Tech begins the season 1-0 for the fifth straight season, while Richmond opens 0-1.
 
Senior guard Aisha Sheppard scored the game's first basket, a 3-pointer and from there the Hokies began the game up 7-3 before a 12-point run extended the cushion. Sheppard had herself one of her better halves of basketball scoring-wise making five triples including one at the buzzer heading into the half to lead all scorers with 15 points at the time.
 
But it was her teammates who kept the momentum after the intermission with, with reigning ACC Freshman of the Year Elizabeth Kitley tallying a double-double and securing 17 rebounds a career-best. Her frontcourt partner Asiah Jones, who started at power forward, had 17 points in her debut and added five boards and a block. 
 
The Hokies pulled away from the Spiders with timely shots, particularly from the perimeter. In addition to Sheppard's five triples, Cayla King added three and Amoore, in her first collegiate contest, scored four. 
 
Richmond closed to as many as 15 in the second half behind 14 points from Kate Klimkiewicz and a dozen apiece from Addie Budnik and Claire Holt. 

Photos provided by Jon Fleming