Virginia Falls 61-51 at Georgia Tech in its ACC Opener
ATLANTA, Ga. – The Virginia women’s basketball team (5-7, 0-1 ACC) opened Atlantic Coast Conference play by falling 61-51 at Georgia Tech (10-2, 1-0 ACC) on Sunday (Dec. 29) at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, Ga.
Georgia Tech used a 16-0 run between the end of the second quarter and the first five minutes of the third quarter to break open a one-point game and pick up the victory on its home court.
Senior guard Jocelyn Willoughby (East Orange, N.J.) scored 19 points with 10 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the year. Freshman guard Shemera Williams (Milwaukee, Wisc.) and senior forward Lisa Jablonowski (Ernster, Luxembourg) also scored in double figures, each contributing 10 points. Georgia Tech had four players score in double digits, led by 18 points and seven rebounds from Lorela Cubaj.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Georgia Tech came out of the gates firing, making five of its first seven field goal attempts to take an early 10-4 lead, but UVA chipped away at the deficit, tying the game on a jumper by Willoughby with 1:49 remaining in the first quarter. The Cavaliers took their first lead of the game, 17-16, on a three-pointer from Williams with 8:29 left in the second quarter, the first of six lead changes in the period. UVA built up a 25-21 advantage on a three-pointer from Willoughby followed by a pair of free throws from senior guard Dominique Toussaint (Staten Island, N.Y.), but Georgia Tech clawed back, tying the game at 27 with 55 second remaining in the half and took a one-point lead, 28-27, at the free throw line in the final nine seconds before the break.
The Yellow Jackets came out hot to start the second half as well, opening the period on an 11-0 run, including a pair of three-pointers, to take a 39-27 lead. Toussaint scored Virginia’s first points of the quarter on a driving layup with 5:12 remaining. Another three-pointer from Williams, this one coming with 28.3 seconds remaining in the third quarter, cut the deficit to six, 42-36, but the Yellow Jackets built the lead back up to double figures in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter. Georgia Tech mounted a 10-1 run, capped by a three-pointer from Cubaj, to build its lead up to 15 with 4:38 left in the game. A pair of three-pointers from Willoughby in the final two minutes of the game cut the deficit back to 10.
FROM HEAD COACH TINA THOMPSON
“I thought that we executed well when we got into the half court. We were getting the shots that we wanted to get. We just didn’t finish them. There were a lot of missed layups. A lot. We are now in conference play. When you play in the top conference in the country, you have to come to play every single night.”
NOTES
- Virginia shot 38.5 percent (20-of-52) while Georgia Tech went 25-of-57 (43.9 percent) from the field
- Virginia was 5-of-10 from three-point range
- Virginia held a 36-30 edge in rebounding
- Dominique Toussaint assisted on four of Virginia’s first five baskets. Jocelyn Willoughby and Lisa Jablonowski also each had four assists. Fourteen of Virginia’s 20 baskets were assisted
- Jablonowski was 5-of-7 from the field
- Jablonowski grabbed eight rebounds and also had two steals
- Williams was 4-of-7 shootings, including going 2-of-3 from three-point range
- Tihana Stojsavljevic (Zagreb, Croatia) made her Virginia debut, checking into the game with 5:10 remaining in the second quarter. She finished with three rebounds
- Georgia Tech missed its first seven three-point attempts, but went 5-of-14 from long range in the second half
- Virginia led for 5:16 of the game
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