Virginia Rallies for a 62-58 Victory over Virginia Tech

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia women’s basketball team (7-9, 1-2 ACC) erased a 19-point deficit to defeat Virginia Tech (13-3, 0-3 ACC) by a score of 62-58 on Thursday (Jan. 10) in a Commonwealth Clash game at John Paul Jones Arena.
 
The Cavaliers had three players finish the game in double figures, led by junior guard Dominique Toussaint (Staten Island, N.Y.) with 19 points and sophomore guard Brianna Tinsley (Madison, Va.) with 15. Senior Mone Jones (Durham, N.C.) led UVA’s rebounding efforts with nine.  Taylor Emery scored 26 points for the Hokies with Regan Magarity scoring 10 points with 11 rebounds. Virginia shot 32.2 percent (19-of-59) while Virginia Tech shot 37.0 percent (20-of-54). Virginia held a 38-34 edge in rebounding.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia Tech jumped out to an early five-point lead, but the Cavaliers tied the game and grabbed a 16-14 advantage on a layup from junior center Felicia Aiyeotan (Lagos, Nigeria) early in the second period. Virginia Tech closed out the half on a 16-4 run, including hitting three-straight three-pointers in a 1:28 span, to lead 30-20 at halftime. Virginia Tech extended the lead out to 19 points, 41-22, with just under six minutes to play in the third quarter and held a 15-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Virginia opened the final period on an 8-0 run, but trailed by nine, 54-45, with five minutes remaining in the game. The Cavaliers began their push with a three-pointer from junior Jocelyn Willoughby (East Orange, N.J.) followed by a steal and fastbreak layup from Tinsley. The Cavaliers tied the game on a pair of free throws from Toussaint with 1:35 remaining and took a two-point lead on a fastbreak layup from junior forward Lisa Jablonowski (Ernster, Luxembourg). Emery retied the game with a layup but a basket from Toussaint put the Cavaliers back up two, 58-56, with 52 seconds remaining. The Cavaliers went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final minute to seal the victory.

NOTES

• Junior center Felicia Aiyeotan (Lagos, Nigeria) checked into the game with 1:14 remaining in the first quarter. It was her first appearance since Nov. 20 (missing 11 games)
• Jocelyn Willoughby also finished the game in double figures with 10 points
• Virginia Tech was 12-of-30 from three-point range and 8-of-24 from inside the arc
• The Cavaliers were 20-of-24 from the free throw line
• The Cavaliers outscored the Hokies 28-9 in the fourth quarter
• Virginia scored 15 points off turnovers in the second half
• Virginia only led for 2:38 of the game
• Taylor Emery scored Virginia Tech’s first 17 points. She was 6-of-7 shooting to start the game while the rest of the team went a combined 0-of-10

COMMONWEALTH CLASH

• The Commonwealth Clash presented by Virginia529 is a head-to-head, points-based competition between the athletic teams at University of Virginia and Virginia Tech.The Commonwealth Clash encourages a friendly, statewide rivalry between the two schools across all school-sponsored sports with 21 individual event points on the line.The school that accumulates 11 points or more will be crowned the winner and take home the Virginia529 Commonwealth Clash trophy.Visit www.TheCommonwealthClash.com for more information
• There was a half-point at stake today in the Virginia529 Commonwealth Clash
• Virginia Tech now leads this year’s challenge, 4-2.5

UP NEXT

• The Cavaliers close out the current homestand by hosting No. 8 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