The Virginia women's basketball team continues its tour of Florida as it takes on Florida State Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
Virginia (14-5, 3-1 ACC) is coming off a win at Miami Monday night, three nights after an emotional loss to fourth-ranked Maryland. The Cavaliers overcame a slow start to defeat the Hurricanes 79-68. Virginia committed 14 first-half turnovers that led a 36-26 deficit at the intermission.
"I know that this team has an awful lot to give still," Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said. "We all have to be clicking on all cylinders."
Florida State (13-6, 3-1 ACC) comes into the game after winning at Clemson 63-39 and facing Miami Thursday. Florida State is 6-1 at home coming into the contest, with the lone loss against SEC power LSU.
Virginia, winner of eight of its last nine, has taken giant leaps as a team since the beginning of the season, especially since its loss at top-ranked Connecticut.
"The thing about our team is that we have learned a lot," senior point guard Sharneé Zoll said. "But also, we have not gotten to the point where everything is sinking in."
Simple mistakes still plague the Cavaliers, as was evident in their loss to Maryland. Virginia committed costly turnovers and consistently missed lay-ups.
"I think we are right there," junior forward Lyndra Littles said. "The team, myself included, I think we know what we need to do. We just need to make sure we put that on the floor."
Virginia will see added distractions in Tallahassee but should be used to them after Monday's victory against Miami.
"There's a lot of distractions to think about," Zoll said. "It's hot weather, you are down there and it's nice and you aren't used to that. I just think that we have to keep our focus."
Sophomore guard Monica Wright leads three Virginia players in double figures. Wright averages 17.8 points per game on the season, while Littles, coming off a team-high 20 points at Miami, averages 16.0 points per game. Junior center Aisha Mohammed contributes 12.5 points and a team-high 8.8 rebounds per game. Zoll will look to get the offense in rhythm, leading the team with 5.3 assists per game.
Virginia has also gotten a strong contribution from sophomore forward Enonge Stovall since she has returned from an early season knee injury. Stovall, an energy player and defensive stopper, had a team-high 10 rebounds Monday night in Miami.
"She has a knack for knowing when she has to do something and she just gets it done," Ryan said. "She's just fearless and she has a lot of courage."
Florida State is led by a balanced offensive effort with six players averaging at least 9 points per game. Junior guards Tanae Davis-Cain, who averages 13.7 points per game, and Mara Freshour, averaging 12.1 points per game, lead the Seminole attack. Sophomore center Jacinta Monroe contributes 11.4 points per game and also leads the team with an average of 6.3 rebounds per contest.
After Florida State, Virginia returns home to take on N.C. State next Friday
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