Virginia Rolls in Lopsided Win over Virginia Tech
Story Links
Box Score Jan. 26, 2017
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia women’s basketball team (14-6, 3-4 ACC) defeated No. 19 Virginia Tech (16-4, 3-4 ACC) 76-27 on Thursday (Jan. 26) at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va. The Cavaliers have now won 19 of the last 21 meetings between the two teams.
The Cavaliers outscored the Hokies 44-7 in the second and third quarters to break open a game that was 18-11 after the first. The 49 points matches the largest margin of victory by the Cavaliers in the series against the Hokies.
“I told the team how proud I was of them and that I thought we played a really solid 40 minutes of basketball,” said Virginia head coach Joanne Boyle. “There was high energy and I thought we got it done on the defensive end, rebounded well, got a lot of those loose balls that we have not been getting and I thought it just created an easier offensive game for us tonight. I felt the girls were completely locked in from start to finish. We had such a great start and kept going, but credit to the girls, we didn’t relax and we were able to use the whole bench so there was fresh energy out there. They did it all.”
Freshman guard Jocelyn Willoughby (East Orange, N.J.) led the Cavaliers with 18 points, going 6-of-8 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line. Senior guard Breyana Mason (Woodbridge, Va.) scored 17 points with six rebounds.
Regan Magarity was Virginia Tech’s leading scorer, finishing the game with eight points and 10 rebounds.
Virginia Tech struggled from long range, making just one of its first 14 three-point attempts and finishing the game 2-of-29 from beyond the arc. Virginia Tech shot 18.8 percent overall (12-of-64) while Virginia made 51.9 percent of its shots (27-of-52). The Cavaliers outrebounded the Hokies, 49-33. Virginia started the game by scoring on its first five possessions, jumping out to an 11-2 lead. Willoughby scored six of UVA’s first 11 points, opening the game with a jumper and adding four free throws in the first three minutes. The Hokies scored six-straight points to pull within four, 15-11, but a steal and an and-one on the opposite end from Willoughby with 18.1 seconds remaining gave the Cavaliers an 18-11 advantage at the end of the period.
The Cavaliers dominated the second quarter, opening the period on a 13-0 run capped by a three-pointer from junior guard Aliyah Huland El (Randolph, N.J.) to give UVA a 31-11 lead. Magarity hit a three-pointer for the Hokies with 4:01 remaining, the first basket of the quarter for Tech. The Cavaliers ended the period by adding 10-unanswered points to close out the half, with back-to-back threes from freshman guard Dominique Toussaint (Staten Island, N.Y.) and junior guard J’Kyra Brown (Rocky Mount, N.C.) and four free throws from Mason to send UVA into the break with a 41-16 advantage.
The Cavaliers continued to roll in the third quarter, outscoring the Hokies 21-2 in the period. Brown scored the Cavaliers’ 50th point of the game 4:31 into the third period. Virginia Tech was 1-of-15 shooting in the period while UVA went 7-of-12 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line.
The Cavaliers limited the Hokies to nine points in the fourth, holding VT to single-digit points in each of the final three quarters.
This was the third time in the 58 meetings between the two teams that the Cavaliers downed the Hokies by 49 points, matching a 90-41 contest in 1997 and a 93-44 victory in 1990. This was the second-largest margin of victory for UVA in an ACC game, only topped by a 57-point 96-39 victory over Wake Forest on Jan. 5, 1995.
Virginia Tech’s 27 points were the fewest scored by the Hokies since a 58-26 loss at No. 4 Duke on Feb. 14, 2013.
This was the Cavaliers first win over a ranked opponent since downing No. 22 Miami, 76-56, last season on Jan. 3, 2016, at JPJ.
Tonight’s game was sponsored by Virginia529, the official college savings plan of University of Virginia Athletics. With Virginia’s victory, the Hoos have earned a half-point in the Virginia529 Commonwealth Clash. The score for the Clash is now University of Virginia – 5 and Virginia Tech – 4.5. Learn more about Virginia529 and this competition at TheCommmonwealthClash.com.
The Cavaliers close out the week by traveling to No. 8 Notre Dame, taking on the Fighting Irish on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 12 p.m. in a game televised on ESPN-U. Virginia will be back at home for back-to-back games against Georgia Tech (Feb. 2) and No. 14 Duke (Feb. 5).
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).