Virginia Tops Duke, 53-47

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia women’s basketball team (10-14, 4-7 ACC) picked up a 53-47 victory over Duke (11-12, 3-8 ACC) on Sunday (February 10) at John Paul Jones Arena, snapping a 26-game losing streak against the Blue Devils.
 
Junior guard Jocelyn Willoughby (East Orange, N.J.) led the Cavaliers with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard Dominique Toussaint (Staten Island, N.Y.) scored 14 points. Leaonna Odom and Haley Gorecki scored 13 points apiece for Duke. Virginia shot 35.4 percent (17-of-48) while Duke shot 40.0 percent (20-of-50). Duke held a 33-31 edge in rebounding.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
In a first half with five ties and three lead changes, the two teams appropriately traded three pointers in the final 13 seconds of the second quarter, with Jocelyn Willoughby hitting one for UVA and Faith Suggs answering for Duke, to send the Blue Devils into the locker room with a 26-23 lead. Duke pulled out to a 34-29 advantage with 4:21 remaining in the third period, but an and-one by Willoughby started an 8-0 Cavalier run for the sixth lead change of the game. Duke momentarily retook the lead, 42-41, in the fourth quarter, but Toussaint snapped a 1-of-8 cold-shooting streak for the Cavaliers, putting UVA back into the lead. Toussaint’s bucket was the start of an 8-0 Virginia run with four-straight free throws from Willoughby giving the Cavaliers a 49-42 lead with 2:07 remaining. The Cavaliers, who went 10-of-12 from the free throw line in the final period, held on for the 53-47 victory.

NOTES

• The victory snapped a streak of 26-straight losses to the Blue Devils. Virginia’s last win in the series was Jan. 30, 2000
• Jocelyn Willoughby had her second-straight 20-point game and her third in the last four games
• It was Willoughby’s second-straight double-double and her third in the last four games. It was her sixth overall of the season and 10th of her career
• Willoughby went 9-of-9 from the free throw line, her best free throw shooting performance of her career
• Junior forward Lisa Jablonowski (Ernster, Luxembourg) had 10 rebounds, her fourth double-digit rebounding game of the season
• Dominique Toussaint started the game going 4-of-4 from the field, scoring 10 points in the first half. She finished the game 5-of-8 shooting
• The two teams combined for 10 turnovers in the first five minutes of the game
• Virginia had 12 turnovers in the first half but just four in the second. Duke ended the game with 21 turnovers
• Duke had a 6-of-6 shooting stretch during the second quarter, finishing the period 8-of-11 from the field. The Blue Devils shot 25.0 percent in the first quarter (3-of-12)
• There were eight lead changes and three ties in the game
• The victory comes on head coach Tina Thompson’s birthday

 
On the Horizon

• Virginia has a bye on Thursday before traveling to play at North Carolina (14-10, 5-5 ACC) on Sunday, February 17 at 3 p.m.
• The Cavaliers have two remaining home games, hosting No. 2 Louisville on Thursday, February 21, and Georgia Tech on Sunday, February 24
• 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