Virginia Wins 60-44 Against William & Mary

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia women’s basketball team (2-6) picked up a 60-44 victory against William & Mary (4-3) on Thursday (Dec. 2) at John Paul Jones Arena.

The Cavaliers held a 10-point lead at the half and then opened the third quarter on a 17-2 run to take control of the game and pick up their first home win of the season.

Grad student guard Amandine Toi led the team with 18 points. Camryn Taylor had the Cavaliers’ first double-double of the year with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

William & Mary did not have a player finish in double figures. Bre Bellamy scored seven points with eight rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Toi got the Cavalier offense started, making two three-pointers in a 25-second span to give UVA an early 11-6 lead. William & Mary came back to take a brief 12-11 lead with 4:21 remaining in the period, the last bucket they would score in the frame. UVA scored the final seven points of the period, with a layup from Parker making it an 18-12 game. Parker added another basket to start the second quarter. The Tribe answered with a jumper at the 7:54 mark. Virginia scored eight-straight points, including a layup from grad student forward Eleah Parker with 5:45 remaining, to build up a 28-14 lead. The Tribe ended a 6:46 scoring drought by hitting a three-pointer with just over a minute remaining. UVA went into the break with a 28-18 lead.

The Cavaliers opened the third quarter on a 12-0 run, with Toi contributing eight of those points. William & Mary scored its first points on a jumper at the 6:46 mark, but Virginia responded by scoring another five points, including an and-one from junior forward London Clarkson.  The Cavaliers built up a 26-point lead on a layup from sophomore guard Kaydan Lawson with 3:16 remaining in the third. The Cavaliers and Tribe traded baskets through the first 7:30 of the fourth quarter. William & Mary ended the game on a 10-0 run after the Cavalier starters had left the game.

FROM HEAD COACH TINA THOMPSON

“It’s definitely good to get a mark in the win column. We’ve kind of been chasing one for a little bit. I’m really excited for our kids in the sense that they had a different kind of bounce to them tonight and a different focus as far as our execution, our defensive schemes, as well as offensively. We are working and we know that we’re a work in progress and it’s gonna take a lot of attention to detail and a consistent high level of work. Each day we’re improving and I’m just really excited for them.”

NOTES

• Virginia shot 42.4 percent (25-of-59). William & Mary shot 26.4 percent (14-of-53)
• UVA held a 44-35 edge in rebounding
• Virginia was 5-of-14 from the free throw line; William & Mary went 11-of-16
• Virginia started the game going 6-of-8 from the field
• Virginia outscored W&M 23-9 in the third quarter
• Amandine Toi was 4-of-7 from three-point range
• London Clarkson also finished the game in double figures, scoring 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting
• Annaliese Griffin made her collegiate debut, checking into the game in the fourth quarter

ON THE HORIZON

• Virginia heads to Washington, D.C. to take on George Washington on Sunday, Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. before returning home to host another school from the District, American, on Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m.
• The Cavaliers will take an 11-day break for final exams after the American game, returning to action on Sunday, Dec. 19 with their ACC opener at NC State