Virginia Opens ACC Play on Sunday at Georgia Tech

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia women’s basketball team (5-6, 0-0 ACC) begins Atlantic Coast Conference play by taking on Georgia Tech (9-2, 0-0 ACC) on Sunday, Dec. 29 at 2 p.m. at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, Ga.
 
BROADCAST INFORMATION

• The game will stream as an ACCNX contest on the ESPN app and WatchESPN ACCNX streams are available through participating TV providers that carry ACCN
• 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 for the game

 
NOTING THE CAVALIERS

• This will be the conference opener for both Virginia and Georgia Tech. Four teams (BC, Clemson, Duke and FSU) opened conference play with games the first week of December
• After limiting UNLV to 23.5 percent shooting from three-point range, the Cavaliers rank third in the conference in three-point shooting defense. UVA has held four of its last six opponents to less than 30.0 shooting from long range
• Senior guard Jocelyn Willoughby (East Orange, N.J.) enters the week leading the ACC in scoring at 19.4 points per game, which ranks 24th in the nation. She is just ahead of Dana Evans of Louisville who is averaging 19.3 points per game. Willoughby has scored 20 or more points in four of the last five games
• Willoughby has led the team in scoring in nine of 11 games this season
• Willoughby also ranks ninth in the ACC in rebounding, averaging 8.7 points per game
• Willoughby is second in the conference in free throw shooting percentage at 90.3, which ranks 14th in the nation. Willoughby has also gotten to the line more often than any other player in the ACC this season, with a conference-best 72 attempts
• Virginia as a team is second in the conference in free throw shooting, making 73.4 percent of its attempts from the charity stripe
• Freshman guard Kylie Kornegay-Lucas (Camden, Del.) grabbed a team-high seven rebounds against Mississippi State, the third time this season she has paced the team in rebounding. She ranks second on the team in rebounding, averaging 6.4 per game
• Freshman guard Shemera Williams (Milwaukee, Wisc.) ranks second on the team in scoring, averaging 9.7 points per game since make her delayed debut

 
DUEL IN THE DESERT TOURNAMENT

• The Cavaliers returned from a 14-day break for finals to play in the Duel in the Desert tournament in Las Vegas. The Cavaliers advanced to the championship game with a 63-55 victory over UNLV before falling 72-59 to No. 15 Mississippi State on Saturday (Dec. 21)
• Jocelyn Willoughby was named to the All-Tournament team after scoring 38 points with 16 rebounds in the two games
• Virginia got off to slow starts in both games. Against UNLV, UVA shot 22.2 percent in the first quarter (2-of-9) but went 18-of-36 from the field (50.0 percent) the remainder of the game. UVA held a 41-35 advantage in rebounding
• Mississippi State built up a double-digit lead in the first quarter, but the Cavaliers came back to tie the game, 26-26, in the second quarter. Mississippi State answered with a 14-2 run to take a 40-30 advantage into halftime. The Bulldogs outscored the Cavaliers 19-10 in the fourth quarter to build up a 23-point lead. Virginia rallied in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to 10 points with 2:39 remaining, but could not get any closer
• The tournament closed out UVA’s non-conference slate, finishing with a 5-6 record, with four of those losses coming against ranked teams and a fifth, Rutgers, is receiving votes in both polls  

 
SCOUTING GEORGIA TECH

• Georgia Tech is second in the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to 45.1 points per game. The Ramblin’ Wreck are second in the ACC in field goal percentage defense, with opponents shooting just 33.6 percent
• The Yellow Jackets have made two trips to the Caribbean this season, playing in the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas over Thanksgiving and the Coqui Classic in Puerto Rico right before Christmas. All of their other games this season have been played in the state of Georgia
• The Yellow Jackets suffered their first loss of the season at the Junkanoo Jam, being edged 46-43 by Rutgers. They also suffered a 60-48 loss to Texas A&M at the Coqui Classic before topping Rice, 54-52, on a last minute shot in the tournament finals
• The Yellow Jackets have four players averaging double-digit points this year, led by senior Francesca Pan at 14.7 points per game. Lorela Cubaj leads the defensive effort with 8.7 rebounds per game while also contributing 10.2 points per game
• Georgia Tech begins a new era of women’s basketball under head coach Nell Fortner who was hired as the sixth head coach in program history on April 9. Fortner has led teams to Big Ten and Southeastern Conference championships and won three gold medals on the international stage, including the gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia (Tina Thompson won gold with Team USA the next two Olympic cycles: 2004 and 2008). At the collegiate level, Fortner enters her 10th season as a head coach having led the helm at Purdue (one season) and Auburn (eight seasons)
• Fortner was the head coach and general manager of the WNBA Indiana Fever from 1999-03
• Virginia holds a 58-16 advantage in the all-time series and has won the last five meetings, including a 53-45 victory last year in Charlottesville

 
 
ON THE HORIZON

• Virginia returns home to host North Carolina on Thursday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. on Star Wars Night. Fans attending the game will receive a free orange glow stick (while supplies last) and are encouraged to wear Star Wars costumes. Star Wars trivia and other contests will happen throughout the game

 
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