Virginia Hosts Wake Forest Thursday Night

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CHARLOTTESVILLE – The Virginia women’s basketball team hosts Wake Forest in Atlantic Coast Conference action Thursday night at John Paul Jones Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., and live statistics will be available at VirginiaSports.com.

The game will be broadcast locally on WINA 1070 AM in the Charlottesville area with Jay James, Myron Ripley and Larry Johnson calling the action. That broadcast is available on the Internet, with a subscription to V Pass, at VirginiaSports.com.

Virginia (12-11, 1-6 ACC) is coming off of an 84-74 road loss at Clemson on Sunday (Jan. 30). The Cavaliers got 19 points from rookie Ataira Franklin (Bowie, Md.), which was the guard’s career-high, but were unable to come back from a 19-point first-half deficit.

Against the Tigers, UVa shot 37 percent from the field (24-for-65), 47 percent from behind the three-point line (7-for-15) and 56 percent from the free throw line (19-for-34). Clemson out-rebounded Virginia, 43-32.

Junior forward Chelsea Shine (Wayne, Pa.) continues to lead the Cavs in scoring at 10.9 points per game. She is also the team’s leading rebounder, averaging 5.7 boards per game. Sophomore center Simone Egwu (Odenton, Md.) ranks second on the team in rebounding (5.3 per game).

Franklin has emerged as one of the top freshmen in the ACC, averaging 11.9 points through seven conference games. She also leads the team in 3-pointers made in ACC games (14-for-23).

Wake Forest (11-12, 2-5 ACC) defeated Boston College, 82-64, in its last outing on Jan. 31. The Demon Deacons are led by Brittany Waters (11.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg), Sandra Garcia (10.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and Lakevia Boykin (9.3 ppg).

WFU head coach Mike Petersen is in his seventh season and has compiled a 101-104 record while at the school. His 18-year coaching tally is 289-231.

Virginia leads the all-time series with Wake Forest, 60-3, including a 27-1 advantage in games played in Charlottesville. Last season, however, the Deacs came away with a 64-57 victory in Winston-Salem on Jan. 31, 2010.

Following Thursday’s contest, Virginia continues its homestand with a Monday night (Feb. 7) game against Florida State. The game will be televised by the ACC’s Regional Sports Network (Comcast SportsNet in the Charlottesville area).