Virginia Plays at No. 15 North Carolina on Thursday

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Feb. 25, 2015

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia women’s basketball team (16-11, 6-8 ACC) closes out the regular season with a pair of games against ranked teams beginning with a Thursday, Feb. 26 contest at No. 15 North Carolina (22-6, 9-5 ACC). Tip time is at 7 p.m.

The game will be televised live on the ACC Regional Sports Networks with Mike Hogewood on play-by-play and Debbie Antonelli providing analysis. Live streaming video will be available online on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. The game will also be broadcast on the radio on WINA-1070 AM with Jay James and Chelsea Shine calling the action.

North Carolina has won four of its last five games, including a 66-65 win at Miami on Sunday. The Tar Heels have an RPI of 11 and are currently in sixth place in the ACC.

UNC is limiting opponents to a conference-low 27.8 three-point shooting percentage. Virginia is shooting 35.0 percent from three overall and an ACC-best 37.3 percent in conference games. UNC is third in the ACC with a +5.1 turnover margin. Virginia is ninth at +1.6, but averages the second-fewest turnovers per game (14.1).

Allisha Gray is ranked seventh in the ACC in scoring, averaging 16.2 points per game, and ninth in rebounding at 7.9 rebounds per game. Stephanie Mavunga is sixth in the ACC in both rebounding (9.0) and blocked shots (2.25).

Virginia has lost 18 of the last 19 meetings between the two schools with the Cavaliers’ last victory coming in an 82-78 double-overtime game in Charlottesville in 2010. UVa’s last win in Chapel Hill was in 2001. The Tar Heels have a 21-12 record vs UVa on their home court. Last season in Charlottesville, the 11th-ranked Tar Heels escaped with an 80-74 victory.

Virginia comes into the game alone in 10th place in the ACC standings, one game behind ninth-place NC State and one game ahead of Georgia Tech. The 10-15 seeds will all play first-round games on Wednesday, March 4 while the 5-9 seeds receive a bye into the second round and will begin play on Thursday, March 5. The top four seeds earn a double-bye into the Friday, March 6 quarterfinals. The conference office will announce the official seedings and complete ACC Tournament bracket on Sunday, March 1.

Virginia snapped a string of four-straight losses with Sunday’s 73-59 victory over Virginia Tech. In a game with 12 lead changes, the Hokies held a 31-28 advantage at halftime, but a second-half surge powered the Cavaliers to the victory. UVa committed 12 turnovers in the first half, but only turned the ball over twice after the break. Virginia shot 56.0 percent (14-of-25) in the second half and went 17-of-20 from the free throw line, including making nine free throws in the final two minutes.

The Cavaliers made a season-high 25 free throws against the Hokies, shooting 86.2 percent from the line. Freshman guard Mikayla Venson was a perfect 8-of-8 from the line, the second time this season she was perfect from the stripe when making five or more attempts.

Venson finished the game with 22 points, matching her career highs that she also scored against Delaware State and NC State, her fourth 20-point game of the year. Venson, who went 2-of-4 from three-point range against the Hokies, continues to lead the ACC with a 40.0 efficiency from long range. Venson has hit at least one three-pointer in eight of the last nine games.

Freshman forward Lauren Moses (Mount Holly, N.J.) picked up two quick fouls against the Hokies and played just four minutes in the first half, but was a key to the Cavaliers’ second-half surge. Moses went 3-of-3 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line for 11 points while also grabbing a pair of rebounds and two steals in the second half. It was Moses’ first double-digit scoring game since Feb. 1 at Clemson.

Two Virginia players have a chance of becoming the 30th and 31st members of the Virginia 1,000 point club this season. Senior center Sarah Imovbioh (Abuja, Nigeria) comes into the game with 981 career points. Imovbioh also has 748 career rebounds, 16 shy of moving into a tie for 10th place on the Virginia all-time rebounding list. Junior guard Faith Randolph (Derwood, Md.) has 949 career points.

Virginia closes out the 2014-15 regular season on Sunday, March 1, hosting No. 8 Louisville at 1 p.m. A special ceremony honoring Virginia’s lone graduating senior, Sarah Beth Barnette, will take place prior to the game.

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-UV