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Virginia Travels to Va. Tech on Thursday for Commonwealth Challenge Game
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Feb. 13, 2007
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THIS WEEK
Virginia travels to intra-state rival Virginia Tech on Thursday, Feb. 15 for a 7 p.m. game. ACC Select will webcast the game live on the Internet. The game is the 1,000th women’s basketball contest in UVa school history. The winner will receive one point in the Commonwealth Challenge.
The Cavaliers then return to John Paul Jones Arena for their home regular-season finale against Florida State on Sunday, Feb. 18. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. The Senior Class will be honored in a pregame ceremony. In honor of Fan Appreciation Day, the first 1,000 fans will receive a free scoop of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream prior to tip-off.
SCOUTING VIRGINIA TECH
The Hokies, under the guidance of third-year head coach Beth Dunkenberger, stand 16-11 overall and 5-6 in ACC play after a 73-69 loss at Clemson on Feb. 11. Senior guard Kirby Copeland leads the team with 15.4 ppg, while senior center Nare Diawara follows with 12.1 ppg and a team-best 8.3 rpg.
SERIES VS. HOKIES
Virginia leads intra-state rival Tech, 28-10, in all-time series history. On Jan. 22 in Charlottesville, the Hokies escaped John Paul Jones Arena with a 60-58 win, taking the lead for the first time on the last basket of the game.
Virginia jumped out to a seven-point lead to open the game, 15-8, and held a 12-point advantage at halftime, 33-21.
In the second half, the Cavaliers led by 14 points on the first bucket, but the Hokies then went on a 13-2 run. With 2:17 to go, Tech tied the game at 56-56. On UVa’s last possession, junior Sharneé Zoll drove the paint and missed a lay-up. Tech’s Brittany Cook grabbed the rebound and made the game-winning lay-up with two seconds on the clock.
Freshman Monica Wright paced UVa with her second career double-double of 17 points and a career-best 11 rebounds. Sophomore Lyndra Littles followed with 14 points, while senior Siedah Williams added 10 points. The 14-point lead is the largest UVa has given up in a loss this season and at JPJA. Overall, VT out-rebounded Virginia, 39-35.
THE 1,000TH GAME IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Virginia will play the 1,000th women’s basketball game in school history on Thursday, Feb. 15 at Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers stand 693-306 (999 games total) all-time in 34 seasons.
COMMONWEALTH CHALLENGE
In 2006, Virginia and intra-state rival Virginia Tech added a new dimension to their long-time rivalry. The Commonwealth Challenge is a comprehensive competition involving teams in the two schools’ athletics programs. With Comcast’s support, it is designed to increase the exposure and interest level in the various sports, while promoting good sportsmanship among student-athletes, coaches, and fans of the schools. A point system determines the actual winner of the competition. The trophy is symbolic of the foundation and history of both schools. The Old Virginia red brick and Hokie stone are the physical foundations of the buildings, which make both universities special. Similarly, the traveling plaques encompass the Commonwealth Challenge logo and has space for each school’s logo to be attached based on the year’s competitions. The winning school, for each sport, will keep the plaque until the next competition.
The Cavaliers and Hokies meet twice in women’s basketball. Each game is worth one point in the Commonwealth Challenge tally. Virginia captured the inaugural Commonwealth Challenge Trophy in 2006. While the Hokies won the first game/point on Jan. 22, UVa holds a 5.5 to 4.5 lead in the current standings.
LAST OUTING
Virginia dropped an 83-74 decision to No. 6 Maryland at John Paul Jones Arena on Sunday afternoon before a season-high crowd of 7,107 fans.
The attendance mark, the largest for a women’s basketball game in the arena, also ranks ninth on UVa’s all-time single game attendance list.
Freshman Monica Wright (Woodbridge, Va.) paced UVa with 19 points. Junior Sharneé Zoll (Marlboro, N.J.) followed with 16 points, while sophomore Lyndra Littles (Washington, D.C.) racked up her 12th double-double of the season (17th of her career) with 14 points and a career-high 16 rebounds.
Overall, Maryland out-rebounded Virginia, 52-42.
IN THE STATISTICS
After 25 contests, sophomore Lyndra Littles leads the Cavaliers with 16.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Freshman Monica Wright follows with 14.6 ppg, while junior Sharneé Zoll adds 10.4 ppg and 147 assists.