Virginia Gives No. 1 Duke a Battle; Falls 76-61

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Feb. 2, 2007

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia women’s basketball may have dropped its fifth straight game, but the magical feeling at John Paul Jones Arena on Friday night told a different story. The Cavaliers fought hard throughout the game, holding No. 1 ranked Duke to well below its 27-point scoring margin throughout the game. The Blue Devils pulled away with the win at the end, 76-61.

The Cavaliers fell to 12-10 overall and 2-6 in the ACC, while the Blue Devils improved to 23-0 overall and 8-0 in the league.

Virginia scored first, but Duke quickly jumped out to a 10-point lead, 16-6. Donning their special orange jerseys, the Cavalier defenders kept the Blue Devils in check, while offensively shooting 42 percent. Sophomore Lyndra Littles (Washington, D.C.) scored 16 of her career-high 28 points in the first stanza. Duke held a 12-point lead at halftime, 42-30.

In the second half, the Cavaliers went on a 14-6 run to cut the margin to seven points, 63-56 with just under four minutes to play. In the final minute-and-a-half, Duke out-scored UVa, 7-2 for the 15-point win.

In addition to her career scoring night, Littles added eight rebounds. Freshman Monica Wright (Woodbridge, Va.) added 12 points, while senior Siedah Williams (Cleveland, Ohio) had seven points and eight boards. Junior Sharneé Zoll (Marlboro, N.J.) had seven points and a game-high nine assists.

Four Blue Devils netted double figures, led by Lindsey Harding’s 21 points. Wanisha Smith followed with 13 points, while Abby Waner had 12. Alison Bales notched a double-double of 11 points and 12 boards.

Virginia hosts Miami on Sunday, Feb. 4 at 2 p.m. at JPJA.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

			1	2	-	Final#1 Duke (23-0, 8-0)	42	34	-	76Virginia (12-10, 2-6)	31	30 	-	61