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CHARLOTTESVILLE Monica Wright had a double-double and Aisha Mohammed scored a team-high 18 points to lead the Virginia women’s basketball team to a 70-57 victory over in-state and ACC rival Virginia Tech Sunday at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers (13-4, 2-0 ACC) fought back from a three-point halftime deficit and used a second-half surge to upend the Hokies and win their seventh-straight game.
Wright finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double this season and fifth of her career. The sophomore turned it on in the second stanza, netting 13 points and igniting the season-high crowd of 7,001 at the arena.
Mohammed, meanwhile, hauled down seven rebounds to go with 18 points. Lyndra Littles, back in the lineup after missing three games with an injury, also scored in double-figures with 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
The Hokies held a slim lead at halftime, 24-21, but Virginia came out strong in the second half. After the teams battled to a 28-28 tie at the 17:07 mark, Virginia went on a 6-0 run capped by a Littles jumper and never looked back. The Cavaliers largest lead was 17 points en route to the eventual 70-57 victory.
The Cavaliers continued one of the nation’s hottest win streaks. UVa has won seven in a row and nine of its last 10 games. Particularly tough to beat in JPJA, Virginia won its program-best eighth-consecutive game in its home arena and improved to 9-1 on the year when playing at home.
For Virginia Tech (12-6, 0-4 ACC), Brittany Cook was the leading scorer with 21 points and nine rebounds. Charlottesville native Andrea Barbour added 13 points while Utahya Drye added 10.
The Cavaliers now turn their attention to Maryland, who visits John Paul Jones Arena on Friday, Jan. 18. The game begins at 7 p.m. and will be televised on the ACC Regional Sports Network.