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Virginia Travels To No. 5 Maryland Monday Night
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CHARLOTTESVILLE – The Virginia women’s basketball team travels to No. 5 Maryland for a Monday night match-up at Comcast Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m., and the game will be televised by the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Regional Sports Networks (Comcast SportsNet in the Charlottesville area). Additionally, the game can be accessed on ESPN3.com. Live statistics will also be available at VirginiaSports.com, and the game will be broadcast over the airwaves on WINA 1070 AM in the Charlottesville area.
Virginia (14-4, 2-2 ACC) has won two-consecutive league games to even its conference record, defeating Clemson on the road 54-47 and Virginia Tech at home 52-39. The win on Thursday night (Jan. 12) vs. the Hokies was the program’s 800th all-time. Now in its 39th season of women’s basketball, Virginia holds a 800-360 record. During that span, UVa has participated in three NCAA Final Fours (1990, 1991, 1992) and won 11 regular-season ACC titles. The Cavaliers have played in the ACC Championship game six times, winning three crowns. Prior to the 2011-12 season, 13 Division I programs had reached the 800-win mark.
Senior guard Ariana Moorer (Woodbridge, Va.) continues to lead UVa in scoring, averaging 12.6 points per game. In her four-year career, Moorer has amassed 1,005 points and became the 27th Cavalier in school history to reach the 1,000-point milestone in UVa’s last outing vs. Virginia Tech.
Sophomore guard Ataira Franklin (Bowie, Md.) is second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.3 points per game. In ACC games only, Franklin is averaging an impressive 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
As a team, Virginia leads the ACC in scoring defense, allowing opponents to score just 51.7 points per game (statistics as of Sunday, Jan. 15). That average ranks 16th in the nation. The Wahoos have held 14 opponents to fewer than 60 points on the season.
Junior guard Lexie Gerson (Fort Washington, Pa.) is second in the ACC in steals per game (3.2), which ranks 22nd in the country, while Moorer is right behind her with 2.8 steals per game (third in the ACC, 51st in the nation). As a team, Virginia is fourth in the conference in steals per game (13.8).
Maryland (16-1, 3-1 ACC) is coming off of a road loss at Miami, 75-63. Alyssa Thomas averages 17.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for the Terrapins, who are unbeaten at 9-0 at home this season.
Thomas is one of four Terps that average in double figures for scoring. Laurin Mincy (14.1 ppg), Lynetta Kizer (11.4 ppg) and Tianna Hawkins (11.0) are the others.
Maryland head coach Brenda Frese is in her 10th season in College Park and has compiled a 237-82 record. Her career coaching tally is 294-112. The Terrapins were picked to finish third in the ACC preseason coaches’ poll.
Virginia leads the all-time series with Maryland, 43-32, including two-consecutive victories at Comcast Center – Feb. 8, 2010 (82-68) and Feb. 13, 2011 (60-57). In all-time games at Comcast Center, UVa holds a 3-6 record.
Following Monday’s road game, Virginia hosts No. 13 Miami on Thursday (Jan. 19) at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed live online by Cavaliers Live at VirginiaSports.com.