Virginia Defeats South Florida, 74-67

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WINTER PARK, Fla. – The Virginia women’s basketball team (5-7, 0-0 ACC) rallied for a 74-67 victory over South Florida (9-4, 0-0 AAC) on Friday (Dec. 21) at the World Class Basketball Florida Sunshine Classic Tournament at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla.
 
The Cavalier junior guards of Jocelyn Willoughby (East Orange, N.J.) and Dominique Toussaint (Staten Island, N.Y.) led the team in scoring with Willoughby contributing 23 points and Toussaint 18. Senior forward Mone Jones (Durham, N.C.) grabbed 10 rebounds to lead all players. USF had four players finish the game in double figures, led by Laura Ferreira with 17. Virginia shot 41.9 percent (26-of-62) while South Florida shot 39.3 percent (24-of-61). Virginia held a 42-34 edge in rebounding.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Willoughby opened the game by hitting a three-pointer, but South Florida scored the next 13 points of the game, building up a 12-point advantage in the first quarter and taking a 40-27 lead into halftime. The Cavaliers mounted an 11-0 run in the third quarter to narrow the gap to two, 45-43, with Toussaint scoring six of those points. A pair of free throws from Toussaint gave Virginia its first lead since the opening minute, 52-51, with 8:05 remaining in the game. After the two teams traded baskets and traded leads on trips up and down the court, the game was tied 62-62 with 3:42 remaining. Toussaint hit a jumper, followed by an and-one from Willoughby to give UVA a 67-62 advantage with 2:48 remaining. The Bulls pulled to within two in the final two minutes, but a steal by Toussaint followed by an offensive rebound by Willoughby to set Toussaint up for a layup pushed momentum in the Cavaliers’ favor. UVA made six free throws in the final 40 seconds of the game to seal the victory.

NOTES

• South Florida’s largest lead was a 15-point advantage with 2:55 remaining in the second period
• South Florida did not hit a field goal in the final 3:42 of the game
• South Florida opened the game making eight of its first 10 shots, shooting 64.7 percent in the first quarter
• USF had a 13-0 run in the first quarter and a 12-2 run in the second
• Virginia’s 29 points in the fourth quarter was the highest single-quarter total for the team this year
• South Florida held an 18-2 advantage in the paint in the first half but Virginia outscored USF 16-8 in the paint in the second half
• Jocelyn Willoughby started the game 5-of-7 shooting, scoring 13 points in her first 11 minutes on the court
• Dominique Toussaint scored 12 of her 18 points in the second half, going 4-of-7 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line
• Toussaint had six assists, her fifth time this season dishing out five or more assists in a game
• Willoughby grabbed all seven of her rebounds in the second half
• Toussaint and Willoughby were voted to the All-Tournament Team
• Mone Jones’ 10 rebounds matched her career high. It was her second double-digit rebounding game of the year
• USF was receiving votes in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches’ Poll
• Junior center Felicia Aiyeotan missed the game with a knee injury, the eighth-straight game she has been sidelined

 
UP NEXT

• Virginia concludes its non-conference slate by hosting Charlotte at John Paul Jones Arena 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