Virginia Prevails in Overtime Against Indiana
Dec. 18, 2017
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Virginia women’s basketball team (6-6) picked up an 82-72 overtime victory over Indiana (6-6) on Monday (Dec. 18) at the West Palm Invitational Tournament in West Palm Beach, Fla.
In a game with 16 lead changes, both teams had a chance to win the game in regulation. Indiana’s Tyra Buss headed to the free throw line with her team trailing by one, 65-64, with 23 seconds remaining, but missed the first free throw and made the second to tie the game at 65. Virginia had the final possession of the game with a three-point attempt from redshirt senior guard J’Kyra Brown (Rocky Mount, N.C.) off the mark and the Hoosiers grabbing the rebound to send the contest to overtime.
In the extra period, back-to-back layups from sophomores Dominique Toussaint (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Felicia Aiyeotan (Lagos, Nigeria) put the Cavaliers in control with a 73-68 advantage. Virginia went 13-of-17 from the free throw line in overtime to close out the victory.
Brown finished the game with a career-high 24 points, going 7-of-11 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Senior forward Lauren Moses (Mount Holly, N.J.) scored 14 points. Senior guard Aliyah Huland El (Randolph, N.J.) had a team-high 10 rebounds.
Buss led the Hoosiers with 28 points on 10-of-19 shooting. Amanda Cahill scored 17 points with four assists.
“Resiliency is a great word to use to describe our play today,” said Virginia head coach Joanne Boyle. “We played some possessions poorly, but we never quit. When we needed to get stops we did. [Brown] came up big for us late with some quick-hitters. We wanted to get the ball in her hand at the end and she delivered down the stretch for us to get those points.
“It was a great weekend, going on the road and winning two. We talked about coming down here with a little relaxation after finals, but when it was time to play, it was all about business. I am proud of them for going on the road and winning two games.”
After seven early lead changes, Indiana closed out the first quarter on a 6-0 run. The Hoosiers’ Bendu Yeaney hit a three-pointer to start the second quarter, giving her squad a 22-14 advantage. Brown hit a jumper 2:30 into the period to stop the run, and also start the Cavaliers’ chipping away at the deficit. Brown hit a three-pointer with 4:26 remaining in the half to make it a two-point game, 27-25. A jumper from Huland El tied the game with 2:55 remaining. Freshman guard Brianna Tinsley (Madison, Va.) put UVA back in the lead, 31-29. Brown hit a three-pointer in the final second of the half to send the Cavaliers into the break with a 36-34 advantage.
Indiana tied the game at 44-44 in the third quarter, but four made free throws gave the Cavaliers a 48-44 cushion. Buss hit a three-pointer for the Hoosiers with 1:39 left in the quarter to make it a 48-47 game. Despite not making a field goal in the final 7:29 of the period, Virginia held that same one-point lead to start the fourth period.
Indiana scored the first five points of the fourth, taking a 52-48 lead on a three from Cahill two minutes into the period. Brown made it a one-point deficit, 54-53, with 7:27 remaining, but the Cavaliers could not completely erase the deficit until Brown tied the game, 60-60, on a jumper. Brown hit a three to put the Cavaliers ahead 63-62 with two minutes left in the game. Buss converted a layup with 56.1 seconds remaining to put Indiana back in the lead, 64-63. Sophomore guard Dominique Toussaint (Staten Island, N.Y.) made a layup. Moses drew a charge, getting the ball back with 33.2 seconds remaining. Indiana stole the ball to get possession with 28 seconds remaining. Buss drew a foul and headed to the line with a chance to put her team in the lead, but she made one of two to tie the game at 65. Virginia had the final possession of the game with Brown taking a three-point attempt with four seconds remaining, but Indiana came up with the rebound, sending the game into overtime.
In the extra period, after the teams traded trips to the foul line, Toussaint hit her layup, with 1:28 remaining and was fouled on the shot. She missed the free throw, but sophomore forward Lisa Jablonowski (Ernster, Luxembourg) grabbed the offensive rebound, setting up an Aiyeotan layup to give Virginia a 73-68 edge. Indiana started fouling and putting the Cavaliers at the line.
Virginia shot 45.2 percent (28-of-62) while the Hoosiers were 25-of-57 (43.9 percent). The Cavaliers held a 37-29 edge in rebounding.
The Cavaliers return home on Thursday, Dec. 21 when they host Manhattan (3-7) at 7 p.m.
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).