Virginia Plays at Rutgers in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge
BTN+ | Live Stats | Listen Live | Game Notes
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia women’s basketball team (4-4) will take on Rutgers (6-1) in the 13th annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge, playing on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. at the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.J.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
- The game will be televised live on the Big Ten Network and will stream online on BTN+
- All of the 2019-20 Virginia women’s basketball games – home and away – are available locally on the radio on NewsRadio 1070 AM and 98.9 FM WINA
- Live stats will also be available
NOTING THE CAVALIERS
- Virginia went 1-1 in the Cavalier Classic last week, topping James Madison, 55-49, before falling 73-62 to No. 11 UCLA
- Both games saw the Cavaliers erasing deficits. JMU led by eight points with 8:31 remaining in the game, but the Cavaliers rallied, leading by seven points with 19 seconds remaining and finishing with a six-point margin of victory. Against UCLA, UVA trailed by 12 points with 2:58 remaining in the first half and then chipped away to tie the game with 3:31 remaining in the 3rd quarter. The Bruins built back up a double-digit advantage in the fourth quarter
- Senior guard Jocelyn Willoughby (East Orange, N.J.) scored 50 points with 26 rebounds in the two games of the tournament. She made 16 field goals and was 16-of-18 from the free throw line
- Heading into Wednesday and Thursday’s Big Ten/ACC Challenge games, Willoughby ranked second in the ACC in scoring at 18.5 points per game and is seventh in rebounding at 9.3 per game
- Willoughby has led the team in scoring in six of its eight games this season
- Willoughby grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds in the win over JMU. It was the most by a Cavalier since Felicia Aiyeotan’s 16 against Mississippi State in the season-opening game of 2018-19
- Willoughby is from East Orange, New Jersey, which is about 30 miles north of Rutgers’ campus
- Freshman Kylie Kornegay-Lucas (Camden, Del.) came off the bench to play 32 minutes against UCLA in the Cavalier Classic. Kornegay-Lucas has been a spark for UVA this season, ranking third in points (9.1 per game) and second in rebounding (6.6 per game). Her 31-point game against Old Dominion was the first time in program history that a non-starter had scored 30 or more points in a game
- Senior forward Lisa Jablonowski (Ernster, Luxembourg) was a combined 7-of-10 from the field in the two games of the Cavalier Classic
- Senior guard Dominique Toussaint (Staten Island, N.Y.) had her best offensive performance of the year against UCLA, scoring a season-high 16 points against UCLA. She also had her most efficient game of the season, going 6-of-8 from the field
- Virginia is coming off a stretch where it played three games against ranked opponents in a five game span. Additionally, James Madison was receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll
- Rutgers is receiving votes in this week’s AP Poll
#WB1GACC
- The 2019 Challenge marks the 13th season of the event, which debuted in 2007. All 14 Big Ten teams and all ACC teams with the exception of Wake Forest will compete in 2019. Last year’s Challenge was among the most competitive in the event’s history, with the ACC edging the Big Ten, 8-6. Five of last year’s games were decided by single digits (and two others by a combined 11 points), including a pair of one-possession games and the first overtime games since 2016. The ACC owns a 9-0-3 advantage in the Challenge and is 89-61 advantage against the Big Ten in Challenge games
- There are five games being played on Wednesday with the remaining nine, including the UVA/Rutgers game, taking place on Thursday
- Virginia is 5-7 in Challenge games and has lost six straight. UVA is looking for its first Challenge win since winning 90-68 at Minnesota in 2012
SCOUTING RUTGERS
- Rutgers spent Thanksgiving in the Bahamas, picking up the title at the Junkanoo Jam, the team’s first Thanksgiving title since 2015
- They downed Vanderbilt, 62-56, and Georgia Tech, 46-43
- Rutgers currently leads the nation in field goal shooting defense, holding opponents to 28.1 percent
- The Scarlet Knights are fourth in scoring defense, with opponents averaging 47.9 points per game
- Arella Guirantes was named the Junkanoo Jam MVP after averaging a double-double of 18.5 points and 10.0 rebounds during the title run. She was also named the Big Ten Player of the Week for the second time this season
- Guirantes currently leads the Big Ten in scoring at 19.3 points per game
- Tekia Mack was named to the All-Tournament Team after scoring 10 in the title game with five rebounds, following her 20-point, five-rebound performance in the first round win over Vanderbilt
- Virginia owns a 7-5 advantage in the all-time series
- Rutgers won the last meeting, 52-43, on Dec. 4, 2017, in Piscataway
ON THE HORIZON
- Virginia heads into exam break before returning to action on Friday, Dec. 20 when it takes on UNLV (2-5) at the Duel in the Desert Tournament, being held at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada
- The Cavaliers’ next home game will be on Thursday, Jan. 2 when they host North Carolina at 7 p.m.
TICKET INFORMATION
- Reserved single-game tickets are $8 if purchased in advance or online and $10 if purchased at the JPJ Box Office. General admission tickets are $5 if purchased in advance or online and $8 if purchased at the JPJ Box Office. Single-game courtside tickets may be purchased for $15
- For more information or to purchase tickets, fans should contact the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-542-UVA1 (8821). Fans can also purchase tickets online at VirginiaSports.com or in-person at the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium