GREENSBORO, N.C. - With six seconds left in its ACC tournament semifinal game against Duke Sunday, the Virginia women's basketball team found itself in an unlikely situation. Having trailed the No. 4 Blue Devils (26-3, 16-0 ACC) by 18 points with 4:23 remaining in the game, the Cavaliers (17-12, 9-7) had the opportunity to take their opponents to overtime by hitting a three-pointer.
It looked very possible as Virginia guard Liz Sahin caught a pass from her teammate Safiya Grant. However, Sahin already had stopped dribbling when she realized she was inside of the three-point line. When she bounced the ball again to get the game tying shot, the referees called her for the double dribble. Duke guard Alana Beard, who scored a game-high 20 points, was quickly fouled and converted one of two free-throws to advance her team to the ACC Championship game with a 61-57 win.
While the final result was far from ideal, the Cavaliers expressed pride in coming back and almost stealing a game that could have been a blowout.
"I'm proud of my team and our effort," Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said. "We didn't always play intelligently, but we had players that believed in themselves from the start."
In the early moments of the game, there were signs that Virginia could hang with the Blue Devils, who had won 16 straight prior to the contest but had looked less dominant than usual in their 16-point first-round win over ninth-seeded Florida State on Friday.
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Tight defense, highlighted by three Virginia steals in just over seven minutes of play, kept the Cavs within one point with just over 12 minutes left in the first half.
Duke was able to force some turnovers to get its offense flowing again with a 7-0 run, but Virginia battled right back and reduced the deficit to five after senior guard Telisha Quarles hit a three-pointer with just under four minutes to go in the half. Duke tightened up on the Cavs for the remainder of the half and finished with a 9-0 run of their own to take a 35-21 advantage at the break.
Even though Virginia freshman center Brandi Teamer was finally beginning to find her shot and pull down more rebounds, the second half was looking like a similar story. The Cavaliers, known for their recent second-half offensive outpourings, scored only 14 points in the first 13 minutes of the half. Duke had scored only 14 points at that point in the half, but it was time for a change, and the Cavaliers knew it.
Sophomore forward Anna Crosswhite and senior guard Karen Jaeger sparked the Cavaliers again, combining for six quick points, and it wasn't long before everyone in the Virginia lineup got involved in what would be a miraculous run.
Quarles, who has been the Cavaliers' go-to player in crisis situations all season, scored 10 of her team-high 19 points in the final two minutes, but the run was just too late and Duke escaped the scare in the biggest test it's faced all season.
"You could see the momentum shift, and they took advantage of it," Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said.
The effort of Quarles and her teammates Sunday resembled the way they finished the game just a day before against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets (15-13, 9-7) had kept the game close all night and held a two-point advantage in the final minute before Teamer hit a jumper with just seconds remaining. She was fouled on the play but missed the potential go-ahead free throw. She made up quickly with a steal on the next play and tossed the ball to a wide-open Quarles, who made a layup to give the Cavaliers a 60-58 win.
"We were very fortunate to win this game," Ryan said. "Obviously the last pass was a key. It was a great effort by my team. They played with a lot of heart, and that's what my team is all about"
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