The Virginia women's basketball team took a break from ACC play Monday night as it took on Morehead State at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers overcame a slow start to dominate the Eagles 88-43 in the team's final non-conference game of the year.
Virginia (17-5, 5-1 ACC) tried to put Morehead State (7-14, 5-7 OVC) away early with full-court pressure, but the Eagles responded well, attacking the press effectively en route to an early 16-15 lead with 12:15 to play in the first half.
The Cavaliers picked up their focus and intensity, however, using a 27-4 run to take control of the game. Sophomore guard Monica Wright began the run with a steal and an easy layup at the 11:45 mark. Junior forward Lyndra Littles ended the run with a pair of free throws with 4:12 remaining in the first half to give Virginia a 42-20 lead. Littles contributed 9 points during that stretch, but it was the bench that got the Cavaliers kick-started.
"I thought we started off a little slow and a little sluggish," Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said. "I thought that it was players like [sophomore guard] Enonge Stovall, [junior guard] Britnee Millner, [junior forward] Abby Robertson and [freshman forward] Kelly Hartig that really took the game and pushed it to a 10-point lead."
Friday night, the Cavaliers held N.C. State's perimeter players to 11 of 47 shooting. Monday night saw more of the same as Virginia held Morehead State to 5 of 31 from 3-point range and only five field goals the entire second half.
"I think there has been added emphasis [on defense] all year long," Ryan said. "It's just that we are starting to reap the benefits of spending so much time on it early in the year. Now we are beginning to see the product of what we were trying to build back in September, October and November."
The Cavaliers picked up where they left off to start the second half, hounding Morehead State on the perimeter and getting easy shots on the offensive end. Virginia put together a 10-0 run in the first 5:02 of the half that included layups from junior center Aisha Mohammed, Wright and Littles.
Virginia never let up defensively, and another layup by Littles put the Cavaliers up 72-33, forcing Morehead State first-year coach Mike Bradbury to take a timeout with 7:50 to play. Ryan used the timeout to pull her starters and give the reserves more game experience.
"It's definitely a big boost for our confidence to be able to have the starting five go in there and take care of business," Millner said. "We know we can go in there stress-free and be able to work on what we need to work on to help the team."
The bench players were major contributors to the win against Morehead State.
"I thought we played the bench quite a bit tonight," Ryan said. "It helps to be able to get some people some playing time ... in the first half and second half to give them a chance of making a difference in the game."
Senior captain and fan-favorite Tara McKnight came off the bench to drain three 3-point shots on as many attempts, with the crowd erupting louder for each make. Fellow captain and senior point guard Sharneé Zoll assisted the final three, bringing a smile to Zoll's face.
"Two of them were not set plays but were options off of set plays,"Ryan said. "She just picked it up right away and nailed them. And I thought Sharneé getting her that last assist was great."
Wright led four Virginia scorers in double figures with 17 points. Littles contributed 15 points, and Millner added 10 points. Mohammed registered her ninth double-double of the year with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The team returns to conference play this weekend when it travels to fourth-ranked Maryland Friday night before Florida State pays a visit to John Paul Jones Arena Sunday evening.
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