Freshman guard Monica Wright and sophomore forward Lyndra Littles may be two of the best players on the Virginia women's basketball team, but they do little good sitting on the bench next to Virginia coach Debbie Ryan.
That is exactly what happened Friday night when foul trouble and offensive fireworks by Maryland led to an early deficit the Cavaliers could never overcome in an emotional 95-68 loss.
"I felt like we could score anytime we wanted against them," Ryan said. "We just couldn't defend them. That's been our problem all year -- we are a young team."
Maryland went on three key runs that helped them coast to victory, the first of which came when one of Virginia's youngest players, Wright, landed two fouls in the opening minutes of a 6-6 ball game.
The Terrapins went on a 12-0 run after Wright took a seat on the bench, a deficit the Cavaliers would never recover from.
Still, Virginia fought valiantly to not let the game get away from them. Freshman guard Paulisha Kellum drew contact inside and converted a layup to make the score 24-17 with 7:55 before the half.
The first half ended with an 18-10 run by Maryland to build the lead to 42-27. The next five fouls were all on Virginia, including a third foul for Littles with 1:21 before the half to keep two Virginia starters in severe foul trouble for the game.
In the end, whistles were a constant presence on the hardwood. Maryland got to the free-throw line 27 times, while Virginia made a total of 10 trips to the line. There were also two technical fouls on Virginia, one on Kellum for spiking the ball after a tussle with a Maryland player and another on the Virginia bench after senior center Siedah Williams was elbowed in the face by Maryland forward Laura Harper.
"The 17 more free throws, I can't comment on that," Ryan said. "I do know this: 21 out of our 37 possessions in the first half were in the paint, and to only go to the line three times is a little disconcerting."
Less than two minutes into the second half, Littles committed a loose-ball foul that forced her yet again to the bench. The Terrapins responded with a drive that stretched the lead out to 26; Virginia would never cut the gap to closer than 20. This was due, in large part, to defensive breakdowns which led to easy baskets for many different Maryland players. Four players had over 15 points, including a team-high 21 by Harper.
"We just had some mental lapses," Littles said. "We gave up a couple of easy threes, we forget to trap in the low post and those came back and got us in the end."
Littles led the way with 23 points, and Kellum added a surprising lift with 10 from off the bench.
Virginia must now focus on the Virginia Tech Hokies, who visit John Paul Jones Arena tonight. Another point will be on the line in the Commonwealth Challenge -- the Cavaliers lead 4.5 to 2.5 and will look forward to trying to extend the margin.
"We are just going to have to move on," Ryan said after the Maryland game. "We can't worry about this right now. The next game is what matters now."
The Hokies are 12-8, 2-3 in the ACC fresh off the heels of a 74-34 stomping of Wake Forest.
The Cavaliers are 28-9 against Tech since they first met in 1974.
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