Virginia Travels To Clemson For Sunday Match-Up
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CHARLOTTESVILLE – The Virginia women’s basketball team travels to Clemson, S.C., on Sunday (Jan. 8) to take on the Tigers in an Atlantic Coast Conference match-up. Tip-off from Littlejohn Coliseum is scheduled for 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast over the airwaves on WINA 1070 AM in the Charlottesville area. That broadcast, along with live statistics, can be accessed at VirginiaSports.com.
Virginia (12-4, 0-2 ACC) is coming off back-to-back losses against ranked opponents – No. 7 Duke (77-66) on Jan. 2 and No. 25 North Carolina (78-73, double overtime) on Jan. 5.
Senior guard Ariana Moorer (Woodbridge, Va.) and sophomore guard Ataira Franklin (Bowie, Md.) have emerged as one of the league’s most talented backcourts. Moorer averages 13.1 points per game to lead the ‘Hoos and has scored at least 10 points in 14-consecutive games. Franklin is coming off of a career-high 29-point performance against North Carolina and averages 12.9 points per game. Franklin also leads the Cavaliers with 22 3-point field goals made this season.
On the boards, Chelsea Shine (Wayne, Pa.) continues to lead UVa with 6.6 rebounds per game. She adds 9.3 points per game.
Lexie Gerson (Fort Washington, Pa.) has started four-consecutive games after an injury to China Crosby (New York, N.Y.) and leads the team in steals (50, 3.1 per game).
The Cavaliers are limiting their opponents to 52.8 points per game while averaging 66.2 points per game.
Clemson (4-9, 0-2 ACC) is coming off of a 59-47 loss at Florida State on Thursday (Jan. 5). Nikki Dixon averages 12.4 points per game, followed by Shaniqua Pauldo’s 10.4 points per game.
The Tigers were picked to finish 11th in the ACC preseason coaches poll.
Virginia leads the all-time series with Clemson, 36-29, but dropped an 84-74 contest on the road last season. That loss snapped a seven-game win streak for the Cavaliers in the series. In all-time games at Clemson, Virginia has a 13-15 record.
Virginia head coach Joanne Boyle (played at Duke) and Clemson head coach Itoro Coleman (played at Clemson) are both former ACC women’s basketball players now serving as head coaches in the league. Sylvia Crawley (head coach of Boston College and played at North Carolina) and Katie Meier (head coach of Miami and played at Duke) are the others.
Following Sunday’s game, Virginia returns home to face in-state and conference rival Virginia Tech on Thursday (Jan. 12). The game will be streamed on the web by Cavaliers Live and begins at 7 p.m.