The women's basketball team capped off the winter break with two big ACC wins over Wake Forest and Boston College. Virginia, which has improved its record to 12-5 (2-1), put together the two-game win streak after losing its first conference match against No. 2 North Carolina, 96-62.
"This team has been a great team coming back after losses," Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said. "You've got to take [ACC wins] when you can get them, and you've got to try and figure out where the momentum is."
The Cavaliers downed Wake Forest 77-70 behind the play of junior point guard Sharneé Zoll and sophomore forward Lyndra Littles. Both Zoll and Littles led Virginia with 17 points each.
Virginia also received contributions from senior center Siedah Williams, who finished the game with a double-double in points and rebounds, and freshman guard Monica Wright, who scored 15 points and pulled down five rebounds in the winning effort.
The Cavaliers continued their success just three days later when they played host to Boston College in front of an energetic crowd of over 4,600 fans.
Virginia held the lead for most of the game and led by as many as seven points in the second half, but allowed Boston College to come back and tie the game with just six minutes left in regulation. For the final minutes of the game Virginia and Boston College went on the see-saw until Littles tipped in a missed lay-up to give the Cavaliers a three-point lead. The Eagles, however, forced overtime when Elisabeth Egnell hit a three-pointer with less than 30 seconds remaining in the second half.
The shot from Egnell, however, fell under controversy when Virginia questioned whether her foot was behind the three-point line.
"We're not sure [Egnell] was behind the line," Ryan said. "She got just past one of the players and the other player was stepping up."
Virginia didn't allow the momentum to swing to Boston College during the overtime period. The Cavaliers jumped out to a 60-57 lead when Zoll hit a three-point field goal to open the scoring in the five-minute overtime period. After the teams traded baskets and the Eagles nailed a game-tying three-pointer, Wright came through in the clutch and hit another field goal with just 1:14 left in the extra period -- a shot that proved to be the eventual game-winner.
"On those shots, I was really scared," Wright said. "I took them, and I was praying that they were going in. I took a deep breath before I shot, and that helped a little bit. Each time I really was praying."
Boston College had a chance to tie the game with 20 seconds left, but turned the ball over to Virginia when the Cavaliers won a jump ball.
Ryan attributes her team's ability to stave off the Eagles' offensive push toward the end of the game to the lively fans.
"I thought the crowd was absolutely fabulous," Ryan said. "I thought they were a very big part of the game and a very big part of the win. Every time we needed a lift they were out there just screaming and yelling. I thought our team did a great job of feeding off the crowd today, especially for the key points of the game."
Conference play continues Friday night when Virginia travels to College Park to take on No. 3 Maryland. The Cavaliers come home the following Monday to host Virginia Tech.
"It's all about matchups now," Ryan said. "This is sort of like survive-and-advance and you have to win as many as you possibly can."
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