Virginia Defeats No. 21 TCU, 59-55, at Paradise Jam

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ST. THOMAS, USVI – The Virginia women’s basketball team wrapped up action at the 2010 Paradise Jam with a win over No. 21 TCU, 59-55. Junior forward Chelsea Shine (Wayne, Pa.) scored 20 points to lead the Cavaliers to victory.

Virginia’s record improved to 4-3 with the win and the Cavaliers went 1-2 at the tournament held in the U.S. Virgin Islands. TCU’s record dropped to 3-3 with the loss.

Shine was 10-for-16 from the field and added five rebounds for UVa. Senior guard Paulisha Kellum (Upper Marlboro, Md.) and sophomore guard Lexie Gerson (Fort Washington, Pa.) added 10 points apiece. Following the game, Shine was named to the Paradise Jam All-Tournament team.

It was a back-and-forth second half after the first stanza ended in a 24-24 tie. Virginia built an eight-point lead, 40-32, with 10:18 left in the game. The Horned Frogs battled back, however, and tied the game at 46-46 with 5:43 left.

With the game still knotted, this time at 53-53 at the 1:04 mark, Kellum’s second free throw gave the Cavaliers a 54-53 lead. Three free throws from Gerson and another two from Kellum down the stretch sealed the victory for Virginia, as TCU did not make another field goal.

Virginia shot 40 percent from the field for the game and nailed five 3-pointers, including two by freshman guard Kelsey Wolfe (Germantown, Md.).

The Cavaliers out-rebounded the Horned Frogs, 35-30, and improved to 4-0 this season when out-rebounding an opponent.

Sophomore Telia McCall (Marietta, Ga.) came up big on the defensive end for UVa, finishing with three blocks in addition to a team-high nine rebounds.

Up next for Virginia is the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 2. The Cavaliers travel to seventh-ranked Ohio State for a 7 p.m. contest.

2010 All-Tournament Team (Island Division)
1. Helena Sverrisdottir, TCU
2. Chelsea Shine, Virginia
3. Kelsey Bolte, Iowa State
4. Hallie Christofferson, Iowa State
5. Madina Ali, West Virginia
MVP: Liz Repella, West Virginia