It is probably one of the biggest locker-room clichés in all of sports -- players looking within and figuring out how to win.
It may be a cliché, but it worked last week for the Virginia women's basketball team. The Cavaliers were in the midst of a three-game losing streak as the team traveled to Blacksburg to play rival Virginia Tech. Senior LaTonya Blue, the second leading scorer on the team, was caught in a shooting slump, and, adding to Virginia's woes, leading scorer Brandi Teamer was held out of the starting line-up for arriving late to the team bus on Friday. But according to Virginia head coach Debbie Ryan, her players refused to let that slide continue.
"We needed to go back and visit who we are and what got us to where we were," Ryan said. "I thought the players did a great job of figuring it out themselves. They played with a different resolve in practice and carried it into the game."
The Cavaliers' 61-58 win over the Hokies can at least be partially attributed to the players' renewed effort and focus. Senior Kate Kreager, one of the four captains, made her first start of the season and was one of three Virginia players to score in double figures. The Cavaliers also had more bench points and points in the paint than Virginia Tech.
Another point of emphasis among the players was offering support to Blue, who was averaging close to 17 points per game in conference play before going a combined 1-16 for three points against Miami and North Carolina last week. In the face such scoring struggles, Blue's teammates made sure she knew they were behind her.
"She knows she's our go-to player," freshman guard Takisha Granberry said. "We just told her to do what she has to do to help us win, and we got her back."
Blue responded with a game-high 16 points against the Hokies. Thirteen of Blue's points came in the second half and helped her team hold off a late charge by Virginia Tech.
"I talked to my teammates," Blue said. "They just have so much confidence in me. I felt like I had to go out and step up for them."
Blue wasn't the only Cavalier to battle through adversity last week. Despite being plagued by a knee injury, forward Siedah Williams came off the bench to score 12 points in 24 minutes for Virginia.
Ryan stressed that it was the players who realized there were issues to be addressed to stop the losing streak. Seeing leadership from her players was something that Ryan made a note of following Sunday's win.
"I have to give the players all the credit for this," Ryan said. "This isn't anything motivational thing that I did or anything else. They took the bull by the horns and said, 'This is what we need to do' and did it."
Despite being proud of her players, Ryan isn't about to mess with success by mentioning locker-room leaders in hopes of maintaining a team attitude.
"I think the whole team was involved," Ryan said. "I don't think any player wants to be singled out. When I got in the locker room, it was every player, not just one or two."
With that type of team-first attitude, the Cavaliers could milk a few more wins out of an old sports cliché.
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