As the weather has grown colder, the Virginia women's basketball team has been heating up. The Cavaliers have won nine of their past 10 games and seem to have hit their stride coming into tomorrow night's showdown with ACC rival N.C. State.
The Cavaliers (15-5, 4-1 ACC) come into Friday's matchup with the Wolfpack (14-7, 2-4 ACC) playing their best basketball of the season. Virginia has looked like a different team since its loss to No. 1-ranked Connecticut in early December.
"I think since the Connecticut game, we have been focusing a lot more on us," senior point guard Sharneé Zoll said. "We are a good team and we are a talented team. We just have to realize it."
Zoll added that coach Debbie Ryan and her staff have worked to keep the team focused on how it plays as a whole rather than individually.
"The coaches have done a great job just focusing on us instead of the other team," Zoll said. "It's not about who we are playing or the names on the jerseys. It's just about what we have to do, the five people on the floor at that time playing defense, rebounding, boxing out, getting in transition. And when we do that, we play well and we win games."
Virginia won two consecutive games in a sweep of the ACC's Florida teams when it defeated both Miami and Florida State on the road last week. The wins, especially at Florida State, did a lot for the team's confidence.
"It definitely means a lot," sophomore guard Monica Wright said. "Historically, we have not won on the road."
Junior center Aisha Mohammed turned in a monster performance in Tallahassee, registering a team-high 18 points and nabbing a school-record 21 rebounds in Virginia's 69-66 overtime victory. When Mohammed plays like this, the Cavaliers have proven to be a dominant team.
"It opens up the perimeter," Wright said. "Our opponent has different threats to worry about. [Mohammed] contributed rebounding and scoring-wise, and if she plays like that the rest of the season, I feel like we are really going to be good."
Virginia's offensive attack is led by Wright, who averages 17.5 points per game, and Zoll, who dishes out 5.3 assists per game. Junior forward Lyndra Littles contributes 15.8 points per game and Mohammed adds 12.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
The Wolfpack also come into Friday night's matchup on a two-game winning streak. N.C. State defeated Virginia Tech and Wake Forest in Raleigh last weekend after dropping its first four conference matchups.
Despite being 2-4 in the conference, the Wolfpack was a solid team last season and was considered a top-tier team in the ACC before this season. The team lost in the Women's National Invitational Tournament Quarterfinals to Wisconsin last season and was picked to finish sixth in the conference before the season.
Mohammed will have her hands full down low with senior forward Khadija Whittington. Whittington leads the Wolfpack, averaging a double-double -- 17.6 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, both tops in the ACC.
Junior guard Shayla Fields orchestrates the offense and is the only other N.C. State player averaging double figures. Fields averages 11.9 points per game and dishes out a team-high 3.8 assists per game.
The game is set to tip off at John Paul Jones Arena Friday night at 7.
Read More
Road loss to Syracuse concludes turbulent regular season for men’s basketball
By Emory Huffman | 1 hours agoEntering the ACC Tournament, the Cavaliers are left with more questions than answers.
Men's lacrosse triumphs over Towson in historic Houston matchup
By Eleanor Lynch | 2 hours agoVirginia earned a sorely-needed victory, and established momentum ahead of a pending clash with No. 1 Maryland.
No. 9 Virginia nabs win amid tenuous circumstances in 22-16 run-fest Saturday
By Stephen O'Dea | 2 hours agoThe Cavaliers made five errors for the first time since 2009, but the offense was able to compensate.
