Virginia Travels to No. 3 Duke on Thursday

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Date and Time Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014, 6:30 p.m. Location Durham, N.C. | Cameron Indoor Stadium
Media TV: ACC Regional Sports Network Affiliates
Other Media:ESPN3 Online Streaming | Live Stats | Listen Live Additional Information Ticket Information | Game Notes(.pdf) | 2013-14 Season Stats | ExperienceUVaWomensBasketball | 2013-14 Record Book (.pdf)
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Jan. 14, 2014

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia women’s basketball team (8-8, 1-2 ACC) faces its second-straight top-five opponent as the Cavaliers take on No. 3 Duke (16-1, 3-0 ACC) on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 6:30 p.m. in Durham, N.C.

Three of the Cavaliers’ next four games, including the Duke game, will be broadcast on TV on the ACC Regional Sports Networks with Tom Werme and Debbie Antonelli announcing the game. All Virginia women’s basketball games this season will also be carried on the radio on WINA- 1070 AM with Channing Poole and Larry Johnson calling the action.

Virginia has lost the last 20 meetings between the two teams and has only one victory in the last 26 meetings, on Feb. 19, 1997 when Virginia won 86-56 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The only time the Cavaliers has upset a ranked Duke squad was when No. 25 Virginia upset the No. 9 Blue Devils 61-49 in Charlottesville on Jan. 30, 2000.

Duke is coming off a 78-57 victory over Boston College in which All-American guard Chelsea Gray suffered a season-ending knee injury. The Blue Devils only loss this season was an 83-61 home loss against Connecticut.

Duke is led in scoring by senior Tricia Liston who is averaging 16.7 points per game. Haley Peters leads the defensive efforts, averaging 7.9 rebounds per game.

The Cavaliers are coming off a 79-72 home loss to No. 2 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish had season lows of 12 assists and five steals, as well as their first single-digit win of the year.

This will be the second time in program history the Cavaliers have played back-to-back regular-season games against teams ranked in the top-three. During the 2005-06 season, Virginia faced No. 2 Duke (Feb. 10, 88-65 L) before taking on No. 1 North Carolina (Feb. 12, 72-60 L).

Sophomore guard Faith Randolph (Derwood, Md.) scored a career-high 23 points against the Irish, including making her first five field-goal attempts of the second half. Randolph, who scored 21 points in the ACC opener against Pitt, is averaging 18.0 points in ACC games this season. Randolph has been coming off the bench for most of the season with only four starts. The last time Randolph was in the starting lineup was Dec. 28 against Coppin State when she scored a season-low two points. Despite not being in the starting lineup, Randolph has averaged 27.3 minutes on the court in the last three games. In the last four games, Faith Randolph has made 27 of 49 field goal attempts (55.1 percent).

Junior center Sarah Imovbioh (Abuja, Nigeria) recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds while going 8-of-12 from the field. Imovbioh scored 12 points with 10 rebounds in the second half. Imovbioh is ninth in the ACC in rebounds per game at 8.3 and is tied for fourth in offensive rebounds with 3.8 per game.

Redshirt senior guard Lexie Gerson (Fort Washington, Pa.) has scored eight points with five rebounds and four assists in each of the last two games. Gerson, who is ranked second on the team in rebounding, is averaging 6.0 boards per game in ACC contests this season. Gerson is fourth in the ACC and 52nd in the nation at 2.5 steals/game.

The Cavaliers started the season going 3-5 in their first eight games, averaging 62.4 points per game. Virginia is 5-3 in the last eight games, averaging 73.8 points per game. The Cavaliers rank 30th in the nation and third in the ACC with a +4.4 turnover margin.

The Cavaliers are 0-2 this season against top-25 teams with a 76-67 loss to No. 3 Tennessee and Sunday’s loss to No. 2 Notre Dame. The last time Virginia defeated a top-25 team was last year’s regular-season finale in which they upset No. 24 Florida State, 72-60. The last time Virginia defeated a top-10 team was Nov. 21, 2011 when an unranked Virginia team pulled off a 69-64 overtime victory over No. 3 Tennessee.

Virginia’s next two games after Duke will also be against ranked opponents. The Cavaliers host No. 17 Florida State on Sunday, Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. before taking on No. 6 Maryland on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 6:30 p.m. at John Paul Jones Arena.

Virginia has only played four-straight ranked teams during the regular season one other time, going 1-3 in a stretch against No. 17 Iowa State, No. 10 West Virginia, No. 21 TCU and No. 6 Ohio State during the 2010-11 season. The Cavaliers defeated TCU, 59-55.