Sophomore forward Lyndra Littles may have been suffering from a stomach virus, but it was the Charlotte 49ers who were left feeling sick last night as Littles connected on a jumper right under the basket with four seconds left to give the Virginia women's basketball team a dramatic 74-72 victory in the second round of the WNIT tournament.
With the game's fate hanging in the balance, it was not Virginia coach Debbie Ryan but junior guard Sharneé Zoll who picked the play that would give Virginia it's 18th victory of the season.
"I'm not going to brag," Zoll said. "I just asked Lyndra if she was ready to carry us and she said 'yeah.' I said, let's run 'deception.' We hadn't [run] it all year and they had scouted us really well so they couldn't have scouted 'deception'."
Zoll's call for this play proved to be pivotal in this contest. Freshman guard Monica Wright waited patiently to inbound the ball and gave Littles the perfect pass to complete a back-and-forth game which saw 13 ties and 14 lead changes.
Yet it was a moment that the Cavaliers know they were very lucky to have. After a missed jumper by Charlotte guard Wendy Stywalt and the score deadlocked at 72-72, the Cavaliers could hold for the last shot. Instead Wright made a dubious decision to take a tough jumper with 15 seconds still left in the game. Charlotte's leading scorer Sabrina Gregory then led a 2-on-1 fast break down the court with 49er guard Traci Ray trailing, waiting in the corner with 19 points already on the night. Only Zoll stood in the way of Charlotte and victory.
"You really couldn't have asked for a better opportunity," Charlotte coach Amanda Butler said.
With a tough passing angle, however, Gregory took it herself and Zoll was able to hold position and take a charge that saved Virginia's season.
"Usually I don't get charges because I fall before the person hits me because I'm nervous," Zoll said.
This time however, Zoll played it just right.
"That was just a huge backbreaker for them," Ryan said. "It was an amazing play and very heady."
It was also redemption for Wright who finished the game with her fourth career double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds. Littles, despite feeling ill, still totaled 16 points and seven rebounds in limited action due to foul trouble.
Sophomore forward Abby Robertson was the unsung hero of the game, stepping in when foul trouble limited both Littles and senior forward Siedah Williams. Her eight rebounds came at key moments throughout the game whenever Virginia was in desperate need of making a play.
"Abby does that all the time in practice," Zoll said. "She has a knack for knowing where the ball is going to be."
Next up for the Cavaliers will be a Thursday matchup against South Florida who defeated Coppin State 66-49. The Bulls feature a Kodak All-American in Jessica Dickson who Virginia must be able to stop if it intends on going any further this season.
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