The Plus/Minus: Virginia Women’s Basketball Falls Flat vs UNC

Minus

UNC did the double on the women’s and men’s basketball teams, winning against both, at the JPJ. The men started out strong but were overwhelmed by the Tar Heels in the second half. Conversely, the women had an abysmal opening quarter, missing their first nine shots. It was a complete team effort for the women as all seven players who had entered the game to that point contributed to the streak. Virginia was down 15 – 8 the end of one and 40 – 23 at the end of the first half. Virginia played hard and never gave up, but they also never really climbed back into the game.

at Minus

Virginia was never going to win this game, not really. UNC set a program record by connecting on 16 threes, 16/24, or 67%. Four different players connected on three made threes, and on a disappointingly large number of attempts, Tar Heel shooters were wide open.

Plus

Kymora Johnson had a solid night scoring a game-high 22 points on the strength of a 5/11 performance from deep. This last was particularly crucial because Johnson had been mired in a mini-slump from beyond the arc. Over the previous five games, Mo was just 12/39 or 30% from three-point range. There is not another consistent three-point shooter on this team as the Hoos rank 110th nationally from deep. If Virginia wants to play meaningful games in March, Johnson has to be connecting from deep.

Minus

Gabby White’s mother is an associate coach at UNC, and I am sure this game has been circled all season. The matchup was a dud as White picked up two fouls in one UNC possession, whereupon she was yanked by coach Agugua-Hamilton. She also picked up a pair of fouls 40 seconds apart in the fourth quarter to complete an ignominious game: six minutes, four fouls, zero points (on 0/3 shooting,) and just a single drawn charge to her credit. I’m pretty sure White desperately wants a UNC rematch in the ACC tourney.

Plus

These women are battlers; they never gave up. But they also never got back in the game. Virginia scored 21 times in the second half – 16 made baskets and six trips to the foul line – and 12 of those 21 times, UNC answered with a score on their very next possession. Down by seventeen at the half, Virginia had a single six-point run and a single four-point run in the second half. That is not the stuff of comebacks.

Plus

Breona Hurd played her most competitive basketball in like forever. That six-point run? All Hurd. She ran hard on the break to complete a Kymora Johnson steal and then on UNC’s next possession, Hurd stole the ball and went coast-to-coast for the flush. Coach Mox going basically seven-deep in her rotation this past month has largely left Hurd out in cold, but Gabby White’s foul trouble opened the door for Hurd. She responded with eight points, three steals, and the second highest box plus/minus for the Cavaliers. Maybe now coach Mox will start playing her again.

Minus

Virginia doesn’t know how to play the two-for-one endgame as the game clock is winding down. They are not alone. Most women’s teams do not effectively play two-for-one to the point that I really only notice when a team does it successfully. Down 47 – 58 and very much chasing the game, it would have been nice at the end of the 3rd quarter if they could have scored twice. Karma reared it’s ugly head as UNC’s Nyla Brooks pumped at the three-point line and drove to the rim to give the Heels a 60 – 47 lead going into the fourth. When you are chasing a game like this, you cannot give up points for lack of effort or awareness.

Minus

It was probably a pipe dream that Virginia could secure a top-four seeding, and thus a double-bye, for the ACC tournament, but a win in this game would have put Virginia in the driver’s seat. As it stands right now, Virginia is in a four-way tie for fifth. Virginia’s chances of a top-four seed are vanishingly small going into the final match: NC State must lose, and Virginia must beat Virginia Tech, and Boston College must beat Syracuse, and Stanford must beat Clemson. Whew. Highly unlikely. But looking ahead to March Madness, Virginia does have a better NET than Virginia Tech, Clemson and Syracuse. This mission entering the ACC tournament: win one game this tournament.

Up Next: But first Virginia has to hold serve when they host Virginia Tech, for Senior Night, on the last day of the regular season, Sunday, March 1st, at 12:00 noon. The game will be on the ACC Network.