Tonight, Virginia's women's basketball team takes on No. 8 North Carolina in its final away game of the regular season.
The Cavaliers will be looking to avenge their 76-56 loss at University Hall on February 7th. In that game, the Tar Heels battled back from an early 12-point deficit and found themselves down only two points at halftime. North Carolina took control of the contest early in the second half with a 16-0 run which gave it a lead it never relinquished.
This time around, Virginia coach Debbie Ryan wants to see her team keep up the intensity for the entire game.
"It was a good game," Ryan said. "We played a great first half, and we came out and we got a quick lead in the second half, then they went on that run."
Since then, the Cavaliers have picked up two more ACC wins against Virginia Tech and No. 20 Maryland, giving them some momentum going into the game at Chapel Hill.
"I think this team has grown a lot from that [game]," Ryan said.
Tonight's contest, as well as Sunday's against Wake Forest, will be important for ACC tournament seeding. Virginia and Maryland currently stand at fifth and sixth, respectively, in the ACC standings. By winning its final two games, Virginia would claim the fifth seed and a first round bye in the tournament. Winning in Chapel Hill against the No. 8 Heels would also significantly enhance Virginia's NCAA tournament resume.
"We're playing for all kinds of things at this point in time," Ryan said. "We all know that we need to get the job done."
To win, Virginia will be counting on its leading scorer, LaTonya Blue. Blue earned ACC Player of the Week honors for the second time this season after scoring 29 points against Maryland, including a perfect seven-for-seven performance from the free throw line.
"I thought she played a tremendous game," Ryan said.
Blue was held to only three points going 1-13 from the field against North Carolina in the two teams' previous meeting. The Cavaliers will need Blue's shooting if they hope to upset the Tar Heels on Carolina Senior Night. But after torching the Terrapins on 10-16 shooting, Blue feels good about her shot.
"I guess I'm taking the right shots, the open shots," Blue said. "I think right now I'm keeping my confidence up."
On the defensive end, Virginia will need to slow down the Tar Heel offense and prevent it from aggressively attacking the basket. North Carolina's attacking style earned the Heels 32 free throws in the last game, of which they made 22. To slow them down, the Cavaliers will need to contain Ivory Latta, North Carolina's sophomore point guard who leads the team in both points and assists. By stopping her, the Cavaliers can keep the ball from reaching UNC's talented interior players like sophomore Camille Little and freshman Erlana Larkins.
Ryan saw some positives in the last game and hopes the team will build on them.
"It really wasn't a 20-point game until the last minute," Ryan said. "I thought we played well for about 30 minutes of that game, and now we just have to stretch that to 40"
Read More
No. 6 women’s squash falls to No. 5 Stanford in first match of the new year
By Peter Kratz | YesterdayThe Cavaliers fall to 0-1 in conference play after their first clash with the Cardinal.
Katie Grimes posts historic debut as women’s swimming and diving annihilates Virginia Tech
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoGrimes broke out as a new superstar for Coach Todd DeSorbo's squad.
Women’s basketball displays stingy defense, but falls short versus No. 14 Duke
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoThe Cavaliers nearly conquered a ranked rival but could not generate consistent offense.
