Virginia Plays at Miami on Wednesday Night

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Jan. 20, 2015

Jan. 20, 2015

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia women’s basketball team (13-5, 3-2 ACC) plays at Miami (14-4, 4-1 ACC) on Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Fla.

The game will be streamed online on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app with Mike Levine and Kelly Schumacher providing play-by-play and commentary. The radio broadcast will be available on WINA-1070 AM with Channing Poole and Chelsea Shine calling the action.

Both teams are coming off road losses to ranked teams on Sunday (Jan. 18). Virginia fell 67-55 at No. 4 Louisville, while Miami dropped a 68-53 game at No. 16 Duke. Neither Virginia nor Miami have lost back-to-back games this season.

The Hurricanes are 12-1 at home this season, including a 78-63 victory over then-ranked No. 4 Notre Dame on Jan. 8. Miami is receiving votes in this week’s Associated Press poll.

Miami leads the conference in scoring defense with opponents averaging 55.3 points per game. In ACC games this season, the Hurricanes have a conference-best +15.0 scoring margin, averaging 69.2 points while only allowing opponents to score 54.2 per game. ACC opponents are 14-of-69 (20.3 percent) from three-point range against the Hurricanes, the lowest in the conference, while Virginia has the third-lowest mark with opponents shooting 25.6 percent from beyond the arc. Adrienne Motley is the lone Hurricane averaging double-figures at 16.9 points per game, but five other players average at least six points per games. Jassany Williams leads the team in rebounds, averaging 6.6 per game.

Virginia holds an 8-5 edge in the all-time series, but Miami is 4-1 in the last five meetings. The Hurricanes won 83-63 at JPJ last season, while Virginia won 62-52 in 2013 in Coral Gables.

After coming within one of the program record when they hit 13 three-pointers in the victory over Boston College last Thursday (Jan. 15), the Cavaliers made just one at Louisville, shooting a season-low 9.1 percent from beyond the arc. The Cardinals went 0-of-9 from three-point range, the first time Virginia held an opponent scoreless from beyond the arc since Norfolk State went 0-of-9 in 2012.

Junior guard Faith Randolph (Derwood, Md.) scored 24 points with five rebounds and three assists against the Cardinals. Randolph, in her third-straight game scoring 23 or more points, made a career-best 11 field goals while taking 22 shots. It was the fourth time this season Randolph took 20 or more shots in a game. Randolph is currently ranked fourth in the ACC in points per game (18.1) and is second in free throw shooting percentage (89.1).

Senior center Sarah Imovbioh (Abuja, Nigeria) had back-to-back double-doubles last week, including scoring 11 points with 15 rebounds at Louisville, the fourth time this season she had 15 or more rebounds in a game. Imovbioh leads the conference and is ranked 10th in the nation in rebounds per game (11.4) while leading the country in offensive rebounds per game (5.3). Imovbioh is second in the ACC in field goal percentage (61.2), which ranks sixth nationally.

Sophomore guard Breyana Mason (Woodbridge, Va.) scored 11 points at Louisville, the fifth time in the last six games that she finished a game in double figures. Mason is averaging 9.3 points per game this season after averaging 3.5 in her rookie campaign. Mason, who had seven assists against BC, is seventh in the conference in that statistical category, averaging 3.6 per game.

Virginia will be back at John Paul Jones Arena on Sunday, Jan. 25, hosting Georgia Tech at 2 p.m. The National Girls and Women in Sports Day game will feature a halftime ceremony honoring former Cavalier Meghan O’Leary as well as a free pregame sports festival from 12:30-1:45 p.m. that includes seven sports stations for youth to visit. Children completing all seven stations will receive a complimentary t-shirt. Admission to the festival is free with a game ticket. Single-game ticket prices for all home games are $10 for Reserved seating, $8 for adult General Admission and $6 for youth (18 & under), senior (60 & over) and UVa faculty/staff General Admission. Fans may purchase home game tickets through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office online at VirginiaSports.com, by phone and in person. The Virginia Athletics Ticket Office is located in Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium and open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Telephone purchases can be made by calling 1-800-542-UVA1 (8821) or locally at 434-924-UVA1 (8821).