On a night that was more about cancer awareness than it was about basketball, the Virginia women's basketball team picked up its 10th win in 11 games Friday, defeating N.C. State in blowout fashion, 74-49.
The game was part of the "Think Pink" initiative, a program run by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association to raise awareness of breast cancer. Both teams sported pink warm-ups before the game, promoting the initiative's cause.
Because both Virginia coach Debbie Ryan and N.C. State coach Kay Yow have battled cancer, the games between these teams took on added meaning. Yow continues to fight breast cancer; she slipped into a relapse in 2006 that caused her to miss several months last season. Ryan has been cancer-free for six years after being diagnosed with cancer in 2000.
"It's really hard to play N.C. State for me," Ryan said. "It's just a really hard game regardless of where the teams are or what they are doing, knowing what Kay is going through."
The Cavaliers (16-5, 5-1 ACC) came out prepared from the opening tip and ran ahead to a 42-20 halftime lead. The Wolfpack (14-8, 2-5 ACC) cut the lead to 13 in the second half but never posed a serious threat.
"I think my team was very, very ready tonight," Ryan said. "They hadn't played at home in several days and really wanted to come out and give this crowd a good showing."
A big key to Virginia's success was its defensive strategy against N.C. State senior forward Khadijah Whittington, the ACC leader in points and rebounds. The Cavaliers used four players in an effort to slow her down and held Whittington to 15 points and nine rebounds, both below her season averages.
"I tried to go with bulk and strength with Aisha [Mohammed], Kelly [Hartig] and Abby [Robertson]," Ryan said. "Enonge [Stovall] went in there as a little more athletic and gave her a different look. I used all four players on her to wear her down a little bit."
Not helping matters for the Wolfpack was the play of its perimeter players. Junior guard Shayla Fields and sophomore guards Nikitta Gartrell and Sharnise Beal combined for 29 points on 10-42 shooting.
Conversely, Virginia kept its offense efficient throughout the game, shooting 31-62. Senior point guard Sharneé Zoll catalyzed the Cavaliers' play, routinely finding open teammates en route to a 12-assist performance.
Three Cavaliers ended the game in double figures. Junior forward Lyndra Littles ended with 17 points, 13 of which came in the first half; sophomore guard Monica Wright registered 16 points; and sophomore guard Paulisha Kellum contributed 10 points.
Mohammed followed up her 18-point and 21-rebound performance against Florida State with 8 points and a team-high 9 rebounds.
With nine games left on its regular season schedule, Virginia has found its rhythm; however, the Cavaliers know the end of the season will weigh heavily with the NCAA Tournament Committee.
"Like coach [Ryan] says, you can't let success get to your head," Zoll said. "We have a game Monday, and we have big games coming up in a row. We still have [nine] games left in the regular season, and we want to do as much as we can in the last [nine] games. That's what a lot of the tournament committee focuses on. We have to keep our head on straight and keep our focus and not get too big-headed."
Virginia gets a break from ACC play tonight as it takes on Morehead State at 7 at John Paul Jones Arena.
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