Virginia Falls 64-52 to Alabama

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WINTER PARK, Fla. – The Virginia women’s basketball team (4-7, 0-0 ACC) suffered a 64-52 loss against Alabama (8-4, 0-0 SEC) on Thursday (Dec. 20) in the opening game of the World Class Basketball Florida Sunshine Classic Tournament, which is being held at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla.
 
Junior guard Dominique Toussaint (Staten Island, N.Y.) led the team in scoring with 12 points, one of three Cavaliers to finish the game in double figures. Junior forward Lisa Jablonowski (Ernster, Luxembourg) led the defensive efforts with 10 rebounds while also blocking three shots. Jordan Lewis led Alabama with 25 points and her teammate Jasmine Walker scored 18 points with 12 rebounds. Virginia shot 28.8 percent (19-of-66) while the Crimson Tide made 34.3 percent of their field goal attempts (23-of-67). Both teams grabbed 47 rebounds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both squads got off to a slow start, starting the game a combined 2-of-15 shooting, but Alabama found its rhythm by the end of the opening period, jumping out to a 17-9 lead and taking a 36-26 lead into halftime. Virginia started the second half hot, cutting a once-13-point deficit down to six points with 7:10 remaining in the third period. The two teams traded baskets through much of the period with UVA still trailing by six with three minutes remaining in the quarter, but Alabama closed on an 8-3 run to take a 10-point advantage into the final period. The Crimson Tide scored the first six points of the fourth quarter to go up 58-42. Virginia scored six-straight points midway through the period, but could not further cut into the deficit, trailing by double-digits for the remainder of the game.

NOTES

• Dominique Toussaint scored eight of her points in the third quarter (on 3-of-4 shooting), also grabbing three rebounds during the period
• Toussaint also had seven assists, her fourth time this season dishing out five or more assists in a game
• This was the third-straight game in which Jablonowski recorded double-digit rebounds. It was also her third-straight game leading the team in rebounding
• Sophomore guard Brianna Tinsley (Madison, Va.) scored 11 points
• Junior guard Jocelyn Willoughby (East Orange, N.J.) scored 10 points. She has scored in double figures in eight of the last nine games
• Virginia has only been outrebounded twice this season. This was the first time UVA tied its opponent in rebounding
• Virginia started the first quarter going 1-of-13 (7.7 percent) from the field. The Cavaliers started the second quarter going 5-of-7 (71.4 percent)
• Virginia had a 6-0 run in the second quarter over a 52 second span. Alabama had a 6-0 run in the same quarter in 1:07
• Virginia missed its first seven attempts of the fourth quarter and went 1-of-10 (10.0 percent) to start the period. UVA closed the game making four of its final six shots
• Junior center Felicia Aiyeotan missed the game with a knee injury, the seventh-straight game she has been sidelined

 
UP NEXT

• Virginia closes out the tournament by taking on South Florida (9-2, 0-0 AAC) on Friday, Dec. 21 at 4 p.m.
• Virginia concludes its non-conference slate by hosting Charlotte on Sunday, Dec. 30 at 2 p.m.
• New this year for all regular-season home games, available reserved single-game tickets can be purchased for $8 in advance, online and via mobile devices, or for $10 at the John Paul Jones ticket office on game day. General admission single-game tickets are $5 in advance, online and via mobile devices or $8 at the John Paul Jones ticket office on game day. Courtside seats are $15