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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Virginia defeated Florida State in overtime, 69-66, Saturday night at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Paulisha Kellum’s 3-pointer with 2:17 left was the difference in the game as the Cavaliers improve to 15-5 overall, 4-1 in the ACC.
Kellum’s trey gave UVa a 69-65 lead and although Florida State scored again, Virginia held on for the victory. Kellum finished with nine points, but the story of the game was the inside play of Virginia center Aisha Mohammed, who hauled down a school-record 21 rebounds to go with 18 points for her eighth double-double of the season.
Also in double figures for the Cavs were Lyndra Littles, Sharnee Zoll and Monica Wright, all with 12.
Down three points with less than five minutes left in the first half, the Cavaliers put together an impressive 13-1 run to end the period. It began with a Zoll 3-pointer that tied the game at 21-21, and continued with eight unanswered UVa points capped off by a steal at midcourt and finish by Wright.
Kelly Hartig, the Cavaliers’ lone freshman, was the recipient of Zoll’s fifth assist of the half as time ran out and she finished the layup to give Virginia a 31-22 lead at halftime.
The Seminoles mounted a comeback in the second half and eventually tied the game, 51-51, on a jumpshot by Christian Hunnicutt with six minutes left to play. FSU built its lead to as many as five points but Virginia battled back and tied the game again, 58-58, with 1:50 left on a jumpshot by Monica Wright.
Shante Williams had the answer for Florida State and put her team up two on a driving layup, but Lyndra Littles came up big for Virginia and hit the tying shot with 19.1 seconds left in regulation.
Overtime belonged to Virginia, as it built a five-point lead on back-to-back baskets by Kellum and held on for the three-point victory.
Up next for the Cavaliers is a return to John Paul Jones Arena for a contest with ACC foe NC State on Friday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m.