Virginia Edged 63-61 by No. 23 Florida State
The Cavaliers were edged by Florida State, 63-,61, in a game with seven ties and 10 lead changes. Brianna Tinsley scored 19 points. Jocelyn Willoughby had 14 points with eight rebounds.
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Virginia Edged 63-61 by No. 23 Florida State
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia women’s basketball team (6-8, 0-1 ACC) opened conference play by being edged 63-61 by No. 23 Florida State (13-1, 1-0 ACC) on Thursday (Jan. 3) at John Paul Jones Arena.
The Cavaliers were led by a 19-point performance from sophomore guard Brianna Tinsley (Madison, Va.). Senior forward Mone Jones (Durham, N.C.) scored 12 points with seven rebounds while junior guard Jocelyn Willoughby (East Orange, N.J.) had 14 points with eight rebounds and three assists. Kiah Gillespie led the Seminoles with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Virginia shot 38.7 percent (24-of-62) and Florida State shot 41.0 percent (25-of-61). Florida State held a 42-32 edge in rebounding.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In a game with seven ties and 10 lead changes, Florida State’s Valencia Myers made a layup with 46.5 seconds remaining to stake the Seminoles to a 63-61 lead. Both teams missed field goal attempts with their next possessions, giving Virginia the ball with 4.1 seconds remaining. Florida State’s Nicki Ekhomu stole the inbounds pass to wrap up the victory for the Seminoles.
Florida State jumped out to the early lead, holding a 16-10 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Virginia outscored FSU 15-10 in the second quarter to go into the break down a point, 26-25. In the third quarter, Willoughby scored five-straight points to stake UVA to a 35-30 lead. The Cavaliers built up a 49-43 lead heading into the final quarter, but Florida State went on an 8-2 run to tie the game at 51 with 6:23 remaining. Willoughby hit a three-pointer with 2:53 remaining to put UVA up 59-56, but a pair of free throws followed by a three from Kourtney Weber gave Florida State a two-point edge until junior guard Dominique Toussaint tied the game at 61 with 1:19 remaining. Myers’ game-winning layup was a third-chance shot, with Florida State grabbing a pair of offensive rebounds after a pair of misses in the possession.
NOTES
- The Cavaliers had two players score in double figures in the first half: Brianna Tinsley with 11 points and Moné Jones with 10
- Tinsley matched her career with 19 points
- Jocelyn Willoughby scored seven points in the third quarter and seven in the fourth. She was 0-of-6 shooting in the first half and 6-of-9 in the second half
- Florida State had nine offensive rebounds in the first half, but only scored one second-chance point. UVA also had nine offensive rebounds in the period, but scored eight second-chance points
- Virginia shot 60.0 percent in the third quarter (9-of-15), making five of its final six field goal attempts
- Florida State’s largest lead was eight in the first quarter. Virginia’s largest lead was six at the start of the fourth quarter
- Florida State is ranked No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and is receiving votes in the Associate Press poll
UP NEXT
- Virginia will head to Clemson to face the Tigers on Sunday, January 6 at 2 p.m.
- The Cavaliers are back at John Paul Jones Arena next week with back-to-back home games, hosting Virginia Tech on Thursday, January 10 at 7 p.m., and NC State on Sunday, January 13 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