Virginia Defeats Clemson 70-54
Jocelyn Willoughby scored 21 points and Carole Miller had a career-high 19 points in the win against Clemson
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia women’s basketball team (10-13, 5-7 ACC) picked up a 70-54 victory over Clemson (7-16, 3-9 ACC) on Thursday (Feb. 6) at John Paul Jones Arena.
Virginia built up a 24-9 lead in the first half, but the Tigers cut the deficit to just three points early in the third quarter. Virginia built back up a 17-point lead with 4:53 remaining in the contest and finished with a 16-point win.
The Cavaliers had three players finish with double-digits points. Senior guard Jocelyn Willoughby (East Orange, N.J.) scored 21 points. Freshman guard Carole Miller (Alexandria, Va.) scored a career-high 19 points. Senior guard Dominique Toussaint (Staten Island, N.Y.) scored 13 points with seven assists and six rebounds. Amari Robinson led Clemson with 19 points and eight rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Willoughby opened the game with a corner three, setting the foundation that would become an early 9-2 lead for the Cavaliers. UVA did not score a field goal for the final 6:07 of the quarter, but went into the second period with a 10-6 advantage. Toussaint opened the second quarter by hitting a three-pointer, the first of nine-straight points for UVA. An and-one from freshman Miller extended the run out to 14-3 and pushed the score out to 24-9 before the Tigers mounted a pair of 7-0 runs bookending a layup from senior forward Lisa Jablonowski (Ernster, Luxembourg) to narrow the gap to 26-23. Willoughby closed out the quarter with a jumper to give UVA a 28-23 lead heading into halftime.
Clemson pulled to within three two minutes into the second half, but a pair of layups from Miller and a basket from Jablonowski extended the lead to 36-29. A jumper from Toussaint started a 7-0 run that built UVA’s advantage back up to double figures, 43-31 with 2:53 remaining. The Cavaliers led 48-35 heading into the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers went 5-of-5 from the field during a stretch midway through the final period, with a three-pointer from redshirt freshman guard Amandine Toi (Paris, France) extending the lead to 64-47 with 4:53 remaining in the game. The Tigers made it a 66-54 game with 1:37 remaining, but the Cavaliers went 4-of-4 from the free throw line in the final 1:19 to close out the victory.
FROM HEAD COACH TINA THOMPSON
“Very solid win for our girls. I thought that they started the game with a lot of energy, but also active defensively. Against a team like Clemson that works the way that they do and rebounds the way that they do, specifically offensively, and tries to attack the basket, our defense was key. We started the game very solid. We had a couple of lapses here and there, but we continued to recover. We again put together a 40-minute game, and for us when that happens, we have very positive results. I’m very proud of their effort tonight.”
NOTES
- Virginia shot 43.6 percent (24-of-55). Clemson shot 37.3 percent (19-of-51)
- Clemson held a 34-32 edge in rebounding
- After not making a single three-pointer on Sunday against Syracuse, the Cavaliers went 6-of-17 (35.3 percent) from long range. Clemson was 3-of-13 (23.1 percent)
- Dominique Toussaint was 3-of-5 from three-point range. Amandine Toi was 2-of-4
- Jocelyn Willoughby was 7-of-11 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line
- This was Willoughby’s 11th 20-point game of the season
- Carole Miller was 7-of-12 from the field and 5-of-7 from the free throw line
- Miller’s previous career high was 18 points scored against Notre Dame on Jan. 26
ON THE HORIZON
- The Cavaliers travel to take on No. 17 Florida State on Sunday, February 9 with an early noon tip time. The game will be televised on the ACC Network
- Virginia returns home to host Miami on Thursday, Feb. 13 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