Women's Basketball Takes on Towson Dec. 11

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December 10, 1998

Towson (4-3) at #21 Virginia (4-2)
Charlottesville, Va. – University Hall (8,457)
Dec. 11, 1998 – 7:30 p.m.

Tonight’s game marks the first meeting between Towson and Virginia. This game is the first game in a four-game homestand for the Cavaliers.

Virginia will have nine days off from competition during the exam period and will resume its schedule on Dec. 21 when it hosts Radford. The Cavaliers return to action on Dec. 28-29 when they host Auburn, Marist and Brown in the Nationwide Cavalier Classic.

DeMya Walker leads the team in scoring (16.0 ppg) and rebounding (8.7 rpg) and Monick Foote is the teams second leading scorer ( 13.2 ppg) and rebounder (5.8 rpg).

The Cavaliers hold an all-time record of 127-27 in the month of December for a winning percentage of 82.5 percent.

Monick Foote returns tonight after sitting out last Friday nights game vs. Wake Forest with a pulled hamstring.

About the Towson Tigers
Towson University, of the America East Conference, won four straight games to open the season and last week suffered its first two losses. The Tigers posted wins over Penn, Fairleigh Dickinson, UNC-Greensboro and Lehigh before falling to UMBC , Hofstra and Loyola.

Head Coach Ellen Fitzkee is in her 11th year as head coach of the Tigers and brings a career record of 125-155 into tonights contest.

Sophomore forward Jess Gordan leads the team in scoring (13.0 ppg) and rebounding (8.6 rpg). Junior forward Shniece Perry ranks second in scoring (12.1 ppg) and rebounding (8.1 rpg). The Tigers average 66.1 points per game while giving up an average of 65.1 ppg.

How the Teams Match Up

                Virginia   TowsonPoints             76.8     66.1Points Allowed     66.0     65.1Rebounds           41.5     40.3Rebound Margin     +4.0     +3.2FG %               .432     .419FG% defense        .394     .4153-pt FG %          .302     .284FT %               .662     .583Assists            15.3     14.7Turnovers          18.8     18.7Blocks              6.2      2.7Steals             11.0      9.4

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 265 consecutive weeks in one or both of the polls.

Virginia holds the longest active streak of any ACC team in the AP poll168 weeks. The Cavaliers have been ranked 242 consecutive weeks in the USA Today poll.

Senior Leadership Sparks Cavaliers
The three seniors, DeMya Walker, Monick Foote and Lesley Brown are the top three scorers and rebounders for Cavaliers this season. DeMya Walker leads Virginia in both scoring (16.0 ppg) and rebounding (8.7 rpg) this season while Monick Foote ranks second in both categories (13.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg). Brown has surprised everyone with her offensive outbursts this season and ranks third in scoring (11.8 ppg) and rebounding (5.3 rpg).

Cavs Rebound From Loss at Virginia Tech
Virginia overcame the upset loss at Virginia Tec with a 65-45 win over Wake Forest on Dec. 4. The Cavaliers loss at Virginia Tech was the second loss this season to an unranked opponent (the other was Arkansas State). Both losses came on the road and to teams which are on the verge of national recognition.

Virginia Tech shot 56.9 percent from the field (29-59), the best shooting game by an opponent since Wake Forest shot 58.8 percent against the Cavaliers on Feb. 8, 1989.

A positive note about the game, the Cavaliers had the lowest number of turnovers (15) this season and the lowest number since Feb. 12, 1998 when they had only 14 turnovers vs. N.C. State.

Cavs Have Time Off Before Facing Radford
After tonights game, the Cavaliers will have nine days off during the exam period before facing Radford on Dec. 21.

Virginia and Radford have met 10 times before with the Highlanders holding a 7-3 advantage in the series. The two teams began the series in 1974-75 and played every year until 1979-80. The series resumed during the 1994-95 season. Virginia has won three of the last four meetings. Virginia is 2-1 vs. Radford in University Hall.

Cavaliers Host Nationwide Cavalier Classic
For the first time in five years, Virginia will host a regular season holiday tournament. The Nationwide Cavalier Classic, presented by the Double Tree Hotel, will feature Marist, Brown, Auburn and Virginia.

The format is pre-set with Auburn and Marist pairing up in the first game on Dec. 28 at 5:00 p.m. followed by Virginia and Brown. On Dec. 29, Brown squares off with Marist at 5:00 p.m. followed by the Auburn-Virginia match-up.

The Cavaliers havent played in a regular season tournament since their appearance in the Florida International Holiday Classic in Miami, Fla. in 1996. The Cavaliers came home with the trophy after defeating Alabama State 106-21 and Florida International 85-64. Monick Foote was named the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament.

The last time the Cavaliers hosted a tournament was on Dec. 3-4, 1993.