It made no sense. How the Virginia women's basketball team suddenly found itself on the wrong side of a 16-point run against North Carolina baffled everyone. It just happened. The well dried up. The dam broke. The power went out. However you say it, there isn't much explanation for it.
Everything was going fine for the Cavaliers when they started the second half. Brenna McGuire hit a three-pointer from the corner. Sharnee Zoll sunk a lay-up. Zoll had a beautiful pass to Jocelyn Logan-Friend for an easy lay-up, and Brandi Teamer hit a lay-up as Virginia protected its two-point halftime lead and built it to six. But that was it. The Cavaliers would not score again until there were about 13 minutes left in the game.
What happened? How did a Tar Heel squad that didn't score its second field goal until eight minutes into the game suddenly turn it around in the second half? One explanation was that Carolina started converting turnovers into points. And another is that every Virginia player who went to the free-throw line forgot how to make the shot. But where did Carolina's motivation and Virginia's lack of it come from?
There weren't any timeouts called before the momentum swung. In fact, the Tar Heels started to play worse before they decided to score 16 unanswered points. The Tar Heels had a three-second violation and two fouls called on them as Virginia built its six-point lead. Then, suddenly, Carolina started scoring.
Don't get me wrong -- I'm not trying to take anything away from the Tar Heels. They are a consensus Top-10 for a reason. They do play great -- maybe even brilliant -- defense. But defense doesn't cause a team to shoot 4-12 from the free throw line. Defense doesn't cause the Cavaliers to score only seven points off of 18 turnovers.
After the game, Virginia coach Debbie Ryan talked about how her team built a lead quickly and then lost it just as fast. She cited a lack of execution and post defense. Ryan's assessment makes sense because Tar Heel forward Erlana Larkins scored 11 of her 13 points in the second half, and front court mate Camille Little added nine of her 17 after the break. But Larkins and Little only scored six of UNC's 16 points in that run. Point guard Ivory Latta scored more points during the run than they did combined.
There weren't enough answers for the issues the Cavaliers had. Virginia forward LaTonya Blue didn't play up to form. The Cavalier post players missed a few shots in the paint. The defensive effort wasn't there for a full game. But these problems didn't seem to have many answers.
Personally, I refuse to believe that last night just wasn't the night for Virginia. They played with amazing effort in the first half. The Cavaliers matched the intensity of North Carolina in the game's opening minutes. After 10 minutes, Virginia held a 10-point advantage. But somehow none of that mattered at the end of the game.
Somewhere between building a six-point lead and trailing by 10, the air was let out of Virginia's tires. Now Ryan finds her team in the midst of a two-game slide, with only five conference games left to play. Ryan seemed determined to find some answers quickly because there isn't much turnaround time before Thursday's match-up against Miami -- a game, that whether Virginia wants to admit it or not, is suddenly a must-win.
Read More
Star left tackle Monroe Mills is out for the 2025 season
By Xander Tilock | 11 hours agoVirginia's offensive line depth has thinned.
Women’s lacrosse upsets No. 9 Maryland in One Love benefit game
By Eleanor Buchanan | 13 hours agoVirginia earned a confidence-building victory as the regular season comes to a close.
No. 25 Virginia softball loses in heartbreaking fashion to No. 21 Liberty
By Ben McNiff | YesterdayThis brutal loss continues what has plagued Virginia throughout the entire season — an inability to win on the road.
