Photo courtesy of Virginia Athletics Communications
UVA Women's Basketball Loses 12-Point Lead in 65-57 Loss at Boston College
It was a heartbreaking night for the Virginia women’s basketball team (3-16, 0-9 ACC), who had a nine-point halftime lead against Boston College (15-7, 6-5 ACC) and it looked like there was a chance the Hoos would capture their first ACC victory of the season.
But, Boston College turned it on in the third quarter and Virginia failed to close out as the Cavaliers fell to the Eagles 65-57 in Chestnut Hill on Thursday night.
In the first quarter, Mir McLean and Kaydan Lawson were the anchors for the Cavaliers. Of the 15 points scored, McLean had six and Lawson had seven. The Virginia defense was even more impressive, holding the Eagles to just three made field goals and UVA led 15-10 after the first period.
Virginia shot an impressive 8/13 in the second quarter, with Kaydan Lawson adding seven more points and McKenna Dale checking in with two three-pointers. Lawson was a spark off the bench in the first half for the Cavaliers, but Boston College was able to keep her in check in the second half.
Meanwhile, Boston College made just three field goals again in quarter two on 16 attempts, but was 7/12 from the free throw line which kept the team in the game. Virginia led by as many as 12 points in the second quarter and held a 34-25 lead at the halftime break.
In the third quarter, the momentum shifted. The Eagles scored the first ten points of the half and opened on a 21-4 run to take the lead 46-38. By continuing to shoot well at the free throw line (10/11 in just one quarter) and forcing five Cavalier turnovers, the Eagles surged into the lead. Overall, BC outscored UVA 24-7 in the third quarter.
The two teams played each other evenly in the fourth quarter, but Boston College’s dominance in the third quarter gave them a lead that they never relinquished.
The main reason UVA couldn’t come back is because the Hoos gave up eight offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter alone. When Virginia’s defense earned a stop, Boston College managed to extend the possession. Overall, the Eagles had 19 offensive rebounds.
Virginia got as close as three points in the fourth quarter on a jumper by Taylor Valladay, but the Eagles held off the Cavaliers for the 65-57 win.
UVA had well-balanced scoring with eight different scorers, mostly because of foul trouble. Kaydan Lawson was the team leader with her 14 points. Cameron Swartz paced the Eagles with 18 points. The biggest difference in the game is that Boston College was 28/39 from the free throw line, while Virginia only was 6/13.
With the loss, Virginia falls to 3-16 overall and 0-9 in ACC play and extends its losing streak to ten games. UVA will return to Charlottesville on Sunday to face Clemson at 4 pm.
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