Virginia Falls 74-59 at No. 11 Louisville
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Feb. 18, 2016
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Virginia women’s basketball team (14-13, 4-9 ACC) fell 74-59 at No. 11 Louisville (21-6, 13-1 ACC) on Thursday (Feb. 18) at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.
The Cavaliers trailed by just five points with nine minutes remaining, but Louisville closed out the contest by outscoring the Cavaliers 22-12 the rest of the way, including an 8-0 run over the final 3:12 of the game.
“We definitely fought hard tonight,” said Virginia head coach Joanne Boyle. “It was really a six or eight point game the whole way. Great teams like Louisville find a way to win. We didn’t really lock down on them down the stretch and we really rushed our scoring. It was a battle. I am really proud of how we fought tonight, we just have to be able to finish out games like this.”
Senior Faith Randolph (Derwood, Md.) scored a team-high 17 points with six rebounds and five of Virginia’s seven steals. Junior Breyana Mason (Woodbridge, Va.) scored 11 points with a team-high seven rebounds.
Louisville’s Myisha Hines-Allen was one of four Louisville players to finish the game in double figures, scoring 22 points with 11 rebounds. Mariya Moore scored 18 points with seven rebounds and five assists, with 16 of those points coming in the first half.
The Cardinals held a 41-27 advantage in rebounding. Virginia shot 42.1 percent (24-of-57) while Louisville went 28-of-57 (49.1 percent). Both teams committed 13 turnovers.
Both teams started with hot hands, as the Cavaliers went 5-of-7 to start the game and Louisville made its first five field goal attempts. After the Cardinals edged out to a 14-14 lead, Virginia chipped away and tied it up 17-17 on a layup from freshman Moné Jones with 42 seconds remaining in the quarter, but the Cards scored the final five points in the frame, taking a 22-17 lead into the second quarter.
After starting the second period making just one of their first six field goal attempts, the Cavaliers fell into a 32-25 hole. A pair of threes from redshirt sophomore J’Kyra Brown (Rocky Mount, N.C.) and sophomore Aliyah Huland El (Randolph, N.J.) followed by a pair of free throws from sophomore Mikayla Venson (Arlington, Va.) built an 8-2 Virginia run that made it a one-point game, 34-33, with 2:17 left in the half. Virginia turned the ball over three times in the final two minutes while the Cardinals made a layup and added a free throw in the final minute to go into the break with a 37-33 lead.
After trailing by seven points early in the third quarter, a three-pointer from Mason followed by a jumper from Brown cut the deficit down to two, 42-40, with 5:51 left in the period, but Louisville answered with a 6-0 run to take a 48-40 lead with three minutes remaining in the third. Sophomore Lauren Moses (Mount Holly, N.J.) ended the run by grabbing a rebound under the hoop and fighting for a second-chance basket. Virginia trailed 52-45 heading into the fourth quarter.
Hines-Allen scored 12 points for the Cardinals in the fourth quarter, helping to put the game out of the Cavaliers’ reach.
The Cavaliers battled foul trouble through much of the game with four players, including all three posts, accumulating three or more fouls by the 8:12 mark in the third quarter.
“We ended up having to go with five guards for awhile, so we had to sit in some zone then we tried to switch up screens and buy a little time until the second half when we could get Lauren (Moses) back in,” Boyle said. “She sat for a really long time so it didn’t feel like she was in the flow in the second half. She was a little hesitant. We just have to keep working.”
The Cavaliers will return home to host Clemson on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. Sunday’s game is the annual Play4Kay pink game. All fans in attendance are encouraged to wear pink 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-UVA1 (8821).