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CHARLOTTESVILLE Tournament Most Valuable Player Lyndra Littles scored a career-high 33 points and added seven rebounds to lead No. 15 Virginia to the Marriott Cavalier Classic title Monday night at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers defeated Louisiana Tech, 68-52, to capture their fifth-straight Cavalier Classic crown.
“It was good to win the game tonight, it really was,” Virginia head coach Debbie Ryan said. “This was a very tough team and getting Shanavia Dowdell in foul trouble early was a key to the game. She’s a talented player and I was really proud of our defense in the first half, I thought it was exceptional. I was glad to come out with a win. Louisiana Tech is a storied and proud program and I think that they will probably win their league so it’s a good feather in our cap.”
In the consolation game of the classic, UMBC defeated Rider, 76-55.
The first half was tightly contested, with Virginia taking a slim lead at the 11:57 mark on a Littles lay-up. With the score 15-14 in favor of the Cavaliers, UVa went on a 13-2 run over the next five minutes to take a 28-16 lead on a Whitny Edwards lay-up with 6:53 left in the half. Virginia held its ground for the rest of the period and had a 35-20 halftime lead, behind 19-first half point from Littles.
Both teams battled through foul trouble in the second half, and Virginia held off a late rally by Louisiana Tech. The Lady Techsters got to within 11 points with less than three minutes left in the game, but UVa held its ground and won by a final score of 68-52.
Wright finished with 11 points, while Edwards contributed seven points and four rebounds. Ariana Moorer led the team with nine rebounds.
The Cavaliers remained undefeated at home (7-0) and won their sixth-straight game. In the 23 years of hosting a Cavalier Classic, Virginia has now won 20 of the titles.
Virginia is back in action on Friday, Jan. 2, with a nationally televised game against Georgia at John Paul Jones Arena. Tip-off is 7 p.m. and the game will air live on ESPNU.
2008 Marriott Cavalier Classic All-Tournament Team
Tammy Meyers, Rider
Meghan Colabella, UMBC
Shanavia Dowdell, Louisiana Tech
Whitney Jones, Louisiana Tech
Monica Wright, Virginia
Lyndra Littles Virginia (MVP)