Virginia Takes Down No. 21/22 Texas, 86-83

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HONOLULU, Hawaii Aisha Mohammed had a double-double, Monica Wright scored a game-high 23 points and Paulisha Kellum hit crucial free throws down the stretch to lead the Virginia women’s basketball team to an 86-83 victory over 21st-ranked Texas Friday at the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii.

“It was a really key win for our program,” Virginia head coach Debbie Ryan said. “I felt like our players battled through a lot of adversity but we persevered and prevailed in the end which shows the great growth of our team.”

Mohammed was a dominant force in the paint, connecting on 9 out of 13 field goals and hauling down 10 rebounds. Wright, meanwhile, had her second-consecutive 20+ point performance to lead four Cavaliers in double-figure scoring.

Kellum finished with 18 points and was 8-for-10 from the charity stripe, including five in the last two minutes, to help seal the UVa victory. Lyndra Littles netted 16 points and Sharne Zoll dished out nine assists to round out the total team effort from the Cavaliers.

With the score tied, 78-78, with 1:27 left in the game, Texas point guard Carla Cortijo committed back-to-back turnovers and then fouled Kellum, who hit two free throws to give Virginia two-point lead.

The Cavaliers never relinquished that lead and got key late minutes from first-year Kelly Hartig, who converted a three-point play with nine seconds left to put the game out of reach.

It was Virginia’s first victory over a ranked team since a March 2, 2006 win over No. 25 Boston College, 57-54.

Texas was led by Kathleen Nash with 18 points.

The Cavaliers advance to the semifinals of the Rainbow Wahine Classic and will face the winner of Kentucky vs. Minnesota at 8:20 p.m. Eastern Time.

Check back to www.virginiasports.com for the most up-to-date schedule and information on Virginia women’s basketball.