Two days after falling to the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils in Durham 88-65, Virginia took the floor of University Hall against the No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels hoping for a reversal of fortune.
The end result, however, was the same story, as the Cavaliers fell to the Heels 72-60 in a hard-fought, physical matchup between the two long-time rivals.
"Virginia played hard," UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "They gave us a good game."
Despite three players scoring in double figures, including Tiffany Sardin's fifth double-double of the season, the Cavaliers were unable to find an answer to the Tar Heels' relentless pace of play.
Early on, it appeared the game would quickly slip away. UNC jumped out to a quick lead, using a mix of jump shots and drives to the basket to build a 17-point lead. Virginia spent the rest of the game trying to battle back.
Virginia coach Debbie Ryan credited the athletic North Carolina squad with disrupting the Cavaliers' offensive rhythm. Virginia committed an uncharacteristic 25 turnovers against the Heels, including seven by normally sure-handed point guard Sharnee Zoll.
"They put a lot of pressure on you," Ryan said. "They're big, they have long arms, they smother you, and we were making some bad decisions."
UNC guard Ivory Latta drew the responsibility of defending Zoll, one of Virginia's most dynamic playmakers and the player who runs the Virginia offense.
"My main goal was to stop Zoll's penetration," Latta said. "I think I did a pretty good job."
Zoll finished the game with nine points and four assists and struggled to incorporate other players into the offense. The Tar Heel defense forced the Cavaliers into taking bad shots, holding Virginia to 30.6 percent shooting. From three-point range, the Cavaliers were a woeful 2-14 from the field.
"Nobody can put pressure on like they can -- nobody in the country," Ryan said of Carolina's defense.
On the offensive side, the Tar Heels used a balanced attack and liberal substitutions to apply constant pressure on the Cavalier defense. North Carolina's ten-man rotation kept their players fresh and helped maintain their up-tempo style of play. Nine of those 10 players scored for the Heels, who appeared to be a step quicker than Virginia for much of the game. Overall, UNC's bench outscored the Cavalier bench 22-4, highlighting the disparity in production.
UNC's attacking style of play brought Virginia into early foul trouble. Lyndra Littles fouled out with seven minutes left in the game, and four other players finished with four fouls. Carolina's powerful post players Erlana Larkins and Camille Little provided matchup problems in the paint against a young Virginia frontline.
While Zoll struggled to keep the Cavaliers in the game against the Tar Heels, Latta rallied her team to stave off a late Cavalier charge that brought the home team within five points midway through the second half.
"She's one of the best players in the country," Zoll said, "She's the head of the snake of her team. It's really hard to simulate [that] in practice and play against her in games."
The Cavaliers return to action on Tuesday against Longwood at University Hall.
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