The Cavaliers closed out the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 65-61 victory over Charlotte. Lisa Joablonowki scored a career-high 17 points.

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia women’s basketball team (6-7, 0-0 ACC) closed out the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 65-61 victory over Charlotte (8-4, 0-0 C-USA) on Sunday (Dec. 30) at John Paul Jones Arena.
 
Junior forward Lisa Jablonwoski (Ernster, Luxembourg) scored a career-high 17 points to lead the Cavaliers, one of three players to finish in double figures. Mariah Linney led the 49ers with 20 points. Virginia shot 37.5 percent (21-of-56) while Charlotte shot 38.3 percent (23-of-60). Charlotte held a 38-37 edge in rebounding.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The two teams were tied at 25 at halftime after five ties and four lead changes in the first two quarters. The Cavaliers came out of the locker room on fire, ignited by a three-pointer from junior guard Jocelyn Willoughby (East Orange, N.J.) that began a 16-2 run to open the period, including scoring 13-straight points, to take a 41-27 lead. Charlotte chipped away at the lead, narrowing the gap to seven points in the third quarter, and making an even bigger charge in the fourth by starting the period on a 10-3 run to pull to within four, 54-50, with 5:57 remaining, but junior guard Dominique Toussaint (Staten Island, N.Y.) ended the run by draining a corner three. Virginia took advantage of a three-and-a-half minute scoring drought by Charlotte to build up an eight point lead, 63-55, with 34 seconds remaining, but the Niners hit a three-pointer and then converted an and-one with 5.5 seconds remaining to narrow the gap to three. Jablonowski hit a free throw to make it a two-possession game and the Cavaliers held on for the victory.

NOTES

  • Charlotte’s largest lead was five points after starting the game on a 5-0 run. Virginia’s largest lead was 14 (41-27, 5:29 3rd quarter)
  • Virginia had a season-high 12 steals. The Cavaliers matched their previous season high of eight in the first 14 minutes of the game
  • Sophomore guard Brianna Tinsley (Madison, Va.) and Dominique Toussaint also finished the game with double-digit points, with Tinsley scoring 12 and Toussaint 11. All of Toussaint’s points came in the second half
  • Tinsley led the team with four steals. Freshman guard Erica Martinsen (Clarence, N.Y.) had three
  • Senior forward Mone Jones (Durham, N.C.) came into the game tied for 11th place in the ACC in free throw shooting percentage at 83.3 percent. She went 6-of-6 from the line today
  • Lisa Jablonowski had the highest scoring game of her career, eclipsing her previous career high of 13 points against Saint Louis. She also had the best shooting game of her career, going 5-of-7 from the field (71.4 percent)
  • Jablonowski had six rebounds, all were O-boards
  • Jones and Jocelyn Willoughby led the team with seven rebounds apiece

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