The Virginia women’s basketball team came up short of the upset in a 72-68 road loss to No. 18 Syracuse Thursday night.
The Cavaliers (8-13, 2-6 ACC) tied the game at 68 apiece with 1:28 remaining in the fourth quarter. However, the Orange (17-4, 6-2 ACC) scored the last four points of the game to hang on for the win.
Virginia junior small forward Jocelyn Willoughby matched her career high with 25 points — going 11-13 from the free throw line — and also led the Cavaliers with 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard Brianna Tinsley was second in scoring for the Cavaliers with 19 points, including four of Virginia’s five three-pointers.
Syracuse junior guard Tiana Mangakahia led the Orange in scoring with 16 points. Senior forward Miranda Drummond scored 9 — all three-pointers — as Syracuse went 9-27 from three.
The Cavaliers were down 22-19 at the end of the first quarter. Syracuse freshman forward Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi scored the last four points of the period to give the Orange a narrow lead. The Orange went up by 5 at the half on two free throws from Mangakahia.
With 3:38 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers were down by 5 points. Virginia junior guard Dominique Toussaint hit a three-pointer to make it a two-point game before Willoughby made a layup to tie the game.
The Orange won the game with four free throws in the final 1:10, two by Mangakahia and two by sophomore forward Digna Strautmane.
Toussaint fouled out with 24 seconds to go in the game, making her the first Cavalier to foul out this season. Toussaint, who had scored 19 points in each of her previous two games, only scored six points Thursday night.
The Cavaliers next play away at Miami Sunday afternoon. The game will tip off at the Watsco Center at 1 p.m.
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