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Cavaliers Prepare for the Postseason
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February 24, 1999
Let’s Get Ready To Rumble
Virginia enters the 1999 ACC Tournament as the second seed for the second time in three years. The Cavaliers captured second place in the conference by winning their last regular season game and had a little help from Duke who defeated North Carolina. Had the Tar Heels won, the Cavaliers would have been bumped down to third place.
Virginia has won four of its last five games and since January, the Cavaliers are 12-4 with all four losses coming to higher-ranked teams.
The Cavaliers closed out the regular season with a 73-55 win over Florida State on Feb. 21. Monick Foote and Lisa Hosac each scored 20 points while DeMya Walker recorded her 10th double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
1999 ACC Tournament
Feb. 26-March 1
At Independence Arena (10,000), Charlotte, N.C.
Feb. 26 #7 Maryland vs. #8 Wake Forest 6:00 p.m. #1 Duke vs. #9 Florida State 8:00 p.m.
Feb. 27 #4 Clemson vs. #5 N.C. State (RSN) 1:00 p.m. winner of 7/8 vs. #2 Virginia 3:30 p.m. #3 North Carolina vs. #5 Ga. Tech 6:00 p.m. Feb. 28 Semifinals winner Duke/FSU vs. Clem/NCS (RSN) 1:00 p.m. winner Md/Wake/Va. vs. UNC/GT (RSN) 3:30 p.m.
Mar. 1 Championship (RSN) 8:00 p.m.
In the ACC Tournament Virginia is 24-18 in the ACC Tournament (.571). The Cavaliers are 15-6 in the quarterfinals, 6-9 in the semifinals and 3-3 in the finals.
Virginia has been either the number one or two seed eight of the last nine years. Last years fifth seed was the first time since 1983 that the Cavaliers had been lower than a fourth seed.
Virginia has played five overtime games in the ACC Tournament and are 2-3 in those games.
The last time Virginia won the conference tournament was in 1993. The Cavaliers played in three straight championship games from 1992-94 and won back-to-back titles in 1992-93.
In the 90s, Virginia is 15-6 (.714) in the ACC Tournament.Series With Teams In The ACC
Clemson: The Cavaliers swept the Tigers this season and hold a 26-21 record in the series.
Duke: Virginia holds a 31-11 advantage in the series, but the Blue Devils have won the last four games.
Florida State: The Seminoles have never beaten the Cavaliers. Virginia is 18-0 vs. FSU.
Georgia Tech: The Cavaliers broke their two-game losing streak in Atlanta last week and have a 40-4 record vs. the Yellow Jackets.
Maryland: Virginia has not lost to the Terps since 1993 and have a 16-game winning streak. The Cavaliers all-time record vs. Maryland is 31-20.
North Carolina: One of the most heated rivalries in the ACC, the Tar Heels have won six of the last seven games, including two of three overtime games. Virginia holds a slim 27-25 lead in the series.
N.C. State: This is the oldest conference rivalry for Virginia. The Cavaliers swept the Wolfpack Women this season to pull ahead in the series 25-23.
Wake Forest: The Cavaliers are 43-1 vs. the Demon Deacons and have won 41 straight games.
Who’s Hot
In the last two regular season games, Monick Foote averaged 19.0 points and 5.5 rebounds. She scored 18 points at Georgia Tech (Feb. 18) and followed that with 20 points in the season finale against Florida State (Feb. 21). In that two-game span, Foote shot 51.9 from the field (14-27). She was 3-7 from three-point range in the Florida State game.
Lisa Hosac scored her season-high 20 points in the Florida State game (Feb. 21). She 6-8 from the field, 2-2 from three-point range and 6-8 from the charity stripe. In addition, she pulled down five rebounds and had two steals. Hosac has played well defensively in the last three games, pulling down key rebounds. She has averaged 6.0 rebounds in the last three games.
In the Polls
The Cavaliers have been ranked every week in either the AP or USA Today poll since Jan. 8, 1984. The Cavaliers have been ranked a total of 278 consecutive weeks in at least one of the polls.
Virginia holds the longest active streak of any ACC team in the AP poll180 weeks. The current streak in the AP poll started on Nov. 20, 1989. The Cavaliers have appeared in every USA Today poll for a total of 258 consecutive weeks.
Ryan Becomes Sixth Coach to Reach 500
With the win over Florida State on Feb. 21, Virginia Head Coach Debbie Ryan won her 500th game and became the sixth coach to rack up 500 wins at one school in Division I.
Only five other coaches in Division I have attained 500 wins at one school: Pat Summit (Tennessee), Jody Conradt (Texas), Kay Yow (N.C. State), Mike Granelli (St. Peters) and Marian Washington (Kansas).
Ryan, in her 22nd season, has averaged 23 wins per season and holds a career and Virginia record of 500-172 (.744).
Virginia Is One of ACCs Top Defensive Teams
The Cavaliers enter the tournament as one of the league’s top defensive teams. Virginia ranks second in the ACC in scoring defense (62.9) and second in field goal percentage defense (.374). The Cavaliers lead the conference in blocked shots (6.3) and rank third in steals (10.4).
New and Improved Free Throw Shooting
Virginia is the league’s top free throw shooting team (71.2 percent) and it is the first time since the 1988-89 season that the Cavaliers has shot over 70 percent from the foul line as a team. Six UVa players are shooting above 70 percent from the line this season: Katie Tracy (91.2, 11-12), Lisa Hosac (89.4, 42-47), Erin Stovall (77.9, 74-95), Lesley Brown (74.1, 43-58), Monick Foote (73.3, 55-75) and Svetlana Volnaya (70.2, 33-47).
Hosac put together a string of 30 straight free throws this season which broke the school record. Coming into the tournament, Stovall has a string of 13 consecutive free throws made.
Walker Is The Team’s Do Everything Player
DeMya Walker leads the team in scoring (15.2), rebounding (8.8), and blocked shots (3.0) and ranks second on the team in assists (2.9) and steals (1.8).
In the ACC, she ranks first in blocks (3.0), second in rebounds (8.9), fifth in field goal percentage (549), fifth in steals (1.8), and seventh in scoring (15.2).
Quick Notes
The starting centers of the ACC average only 7.6 points and 4.4 rebounds vs. the Cavaliers. The Cavalier bench averages 27.5 points per game while the starters average 49.2 points. The bench outscored the starters 44-21 in the Virginia Tech game and 53-49 in the Towson game. Erin Stovall has the four highest scoring games on the Virginia squad this season. In addition to the 27 points at Georgia Tech on Feb. 18, Stovall scored 26 vs. Clemson (Jan. 2), 25 vs. Duke (Jan. 4) and 24 vs. North Carolina (Jan. 18). The Cavaliers are more successful in the last four days of the week than in the first three days. Virginia is 10-1 (.909) in games played on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, and are 9-6 (.600) in games played on Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday. Erin Stovall is nearing the record for most three-point field goals made by a sophomore. Stovall has 41 for the season and needs only two more to reach the mark set by Tora Suber (43) in 1995. In the national stats, Virginia ranks 17th in field goal percentage defense (37.1). DeMya Walker ranks fourth in blocked shots (3.1).Robinson Playing Better Since Injury
It might have taken an injury to improve Renee Robinson’s performance on the court. Her stats improved after playing a gutsy 24 minutes and dishing out six assists in the game following a sprained left ankle injury on Jan. 14 and has since been a better player for Coach Ryan. In the 11 games after the injury, Robinson improved to 3.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Below is the comparison of Robinson’s stats prior to the injury, after the injury and her cumulative stats:
G FG Pts. Reb. Ast. St. Min.Prior to injury 15 14-35 2.5 2.0 2.5 1.3 22.5Post injury 11 16-39 3.7 3.5 3.7 1.9 28.6Cumulative 26 30-74 3.0 2.6 3.0 1.5 25.1
Ryan Holds Advantage in Series with Current ACC Coaches Debbie Ryan holds a 137-70 record against the current coaches in the ACC and holds a winning record versus every coach in the conference.
Ryan vs. Jim Davis, Clemson 19-11 Gail Goestenkors, Duke 9-6 Sue Semrau, Florida St. 4-0 Agnus Berenato, Georgia Tech 23-3 Chris Weller, Maryland 31-20 Sylvia Hatchell, North Carolina 22-8 Kay Yow, N.C. State 25-22 Charlene Curtis, Wake Forest 4-0 137-70
Hosac Breaks 18-year old Free Throw Record
Lisa Hosac hit 30 consecutive free throws before missing in the Duke game on Feb. 4. Hosac’s streak began when she made her last three free throws in the VCU game on Nov. 24. She entered the Wake Forest game on Jan. 28 with a string of 26 straight made free throws which tied the 18-year old record held by Sandy Glasson. With her 4-4 performance from the line vs. the Demon Deacons, Hosac broke Glasson’s record and extended the streak to 30. Walker Ranks Second in ACC in Career Blocked Shots
DeMya Walker currently ranks second in the ACC with 326 career blocked shots. With her only block in the Florida State game on Jan. 22, she moved into sole possession of second place in the ACC standings. She needs four more blocks to become the ACC’s all-time leader.
Player, team Years GP Blk Avg. 1. Dawn Royster (UNC) 1984-87 110 329 3.0 2. DeMya Walker (UVa.) 1996- 119 326 2.7
Walker Moving Up in NCAA Block Party
With her 326 career blocked shots, DeMya Walker ranks 11th in NCAA history in blocked shots. The all-time NCAA record is 428 blocks by Genia Miller (Cal State Fullerton, 1988-91). If Walker breaks the ACC blocked shot record, she will be in the top 10 of the NCAA rankings.
Last Player, team Season GP Blk 1. Genia Miller (Cal State Fullerton) 1991 118 428 2. Heidi Gillingham (Vanderbilt) 1994 128 413 3. Rebecca Lobo (Connecticut) 1995 126 396 4. Chris Enger (San Diego) 1993 96 372 5. Kara Wolters (Connecticut) 1997 137 370 6. Angela Gorsica (Vanderbilt) 1997 127 368 7. Trish Andrew (Michigan) 1993 113 367 8. Denise Hogue (College of Charleston) 1993 106 359 9. Amy Lundquist (Loyola Marymount/DePaul) 1997 113 336 10. Dawn Royster (North Carolina) 1987 110 329 11. DeMya Walker (Virginia) 1999 119 326 Tajama Abraham (George Washington) 1997 130 326
The Long Rangers
Monick Foote and Erin Stovall are becoming one of the most deadly three-point shooting combos in school history since Foote teamed with Tora Suber several years ago. The duo combined for 111 three-pointers in 1996 and 97 treys in 1997. Foote and Stovall have 66 between them this season. Stovall has connected on 41 bombs this season and needs only two more to match Tora Suber’s sophomore record of 43. In the career standings, Foote moved into second place ahead of Tammi Reiss with the first three-pointer she hit in the Wake Forest game on Jan. 28. Stovall who connected on 32 trifectas last season, holds onto eighth place with 73 career three-pointers.
3FGM Player (years) Att. 1. 220 Tora Suber (1994-97) 666 2. 146 Monick Foote (1995-present) 410 3. 139 Tammi Reiss (1989-92) 334 4. 134 Dena Evans (1990-93) 370 5. 131 Dawn Staley (1989-92) 371 6. 91 Kate Mooney (1995-present**) 282 91 Mimi McKinney (1995-98 ) 288 8. 73 Erin Stovall (1997-present) 259 **redshirting the 1999 season
Walker Moves Into Fourth in Career Rebounds
DeMya Walker continues to climb up the chart in career rebounds. The 6-3 senior has a career average of 7.7 rebounds per game and 918 total for her career. She needs 15 more to move ahead of Cathy Grimes in third place.
Reb. Player (years) G 1. 1221 Wendy Palmer (1993-96) 126 2. 955 Heather Burge (1990-93) 135 3. 932 Cathy Grimes (1982-85 114 4. 918 DeMya Walker (1996-present) 119 5. 853 Heidi Burge (1990-93) 134
Stovall Blazes Through January
Erin Stovall opened the new year with a scoring blitz. The 5-9 sophomore scored a career-high 26 points in the win at Clemson (Jan. 2) and followed that with 25 points in the loss at Duke (Jan. 4). Stovall was named the ACC Player of the Week (Jan. 4) for her performance and she is the first player since the 1996-97 season to score 25 or more points in back-to-back games (DeMya Walker). Stovall scored 14 points in the win over Maryland (Jan. 8) and connected on a team-high 19 points in the win at N.C. State (Jan. 11). Stovall scored eight points in a 12-1 run in the second half that sealed the win against the Wolfpack. She followed that with 19 points vs. Georgia Tech (Jan. 14) and 24 points vs. North Carolina (Jan. 18).
Since gaining a regular starting role on Jan. 2 vs. Clemson, Erin Stovall is averaging 15.2 points per game compared with 12.9 as a reserve. When she is in the starting line-up, the Cavaliers are 10-4. Against ranked opponents, Stovall averages 16.8 ppg.
On the Boards
Crashing the boards or lack thereof has been Virginia’s achilles heel this year. For a team that prided itself on rebounding in recent years, this year’s team has had its ups and downs. The Cavaliers have been outrebounded in nine games this season and are 2-7 in those games. However, when the Cavaliers outrebound their opponent, they are 17-0.
The win at Clemson was the first time this season the Cavaliers pulled out a win with fewer rebounds than the opponent (45-53). The Cavaliers squeezed out a win over Maryland on Jan. 8 despite being outrebounded 41-37.
The Cavaliers hold a +2.6 rebound margin over its opponents this eason.
Duo Combines For Best Shooting Performance
DeMya Walker and Lesley Brown shot a combined 17-17 (1.000) in Virginia’s 102-44 win over Towson on Dec. 11 and recorded the top shooting performance in UVa history. Walker tied Wendy Palmer for the best individual shooting performance in school history with her 9-9 shooting from the field. Brown’s 8-8 performance from the field completed the best shooting performance by a duo in any single game in UVAhistory.
In Palmer’s 9-9 effort vs. Cleveland State on Nov. 29, 1995, Monick Foote was 5-5 from the field.
In the Towson game, Virginia shot 61.5 percent (40-65) the highest field goal percentage since Jan. 25, 1994 when the team shot 65.5 percent vs. Duke (36-55).
Senior Farewell
The Florida State game on Feb. 21 was the final regular season home appearance for Virginia’s three seniors: Monick Foote, Lesley Brown and DeMya Walker.
Despite battling injuries her entire career, Foote ranks second in Virginia history in three-point shooting, behind Tora Suber. She ranks third in career blocked shots and became the 17th player in school history to score over 1000 points for her career. A four-year starter, Foote played nearly every position on the floor and has to be considered one of UVA’s all-time great defensive players.
As one of the best athletes on the team, Brown started this year off with a tremendous scoring outburst and averaged 17.0 points per game in the first three games. She is having her best year as a Cavalier this season by averaging more points, rebounds, assists, steals and minutes played than any of her previous years. She recorded back-to-back games with 20 or more points vs. North Carolina (Feb. 14) and Georgia Tech (Feb. 18).
Considered the ACC’s most complete player, Walker leads the Cavaliers in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, and blocked shots and is a leading contender for the ACC’s Player of the Year. Walker ranks in the top seven of five statistical categories in the ACC: first in blocks (3.0), second in rebounds (8.9), fifth in field goal percentage (549), fifth in steals (1.8), and seventh in scoring (15.2). She is closing in on the ACC record for blocked shots and is eight swats away from establishing a new conference record. Currently, she ranks fourth in the nation in blocked shots and ranks 11th in NCAA history. Walker, a four-year starter, ranks 10th in scoring and fourth in rebounding in UVA history.