The Plus/Minus: Virginia Women’s Basketball Stymied by Duke

Minus

Duke was in everyone’s Top 10 preseason rankings, but they played a brutal out-of-conference schedule and fell to 3 – 6 to start the season. And yet here the Blue Devils are, undefeated in ACC play, and peaking at the right time, as it were. Duke played Baylor (neutral site,) West Virginia (away,) South Florida (away,) South Carolina (neutral site,) UCLA (neutral site,) LSU (home,) and even Belmont on the road. That’s a schedule that will have you winning a lot of tournament games come March.

Plus

Virginia was blitzed by Toby Fournier early, as the ACC’s most improved player outscored Virginia 15 – 14 in the first quarter by herself. The Cavaliers held their own in the second quarter before exploding in the third quarter (21 – 9) and taking their first lead of the game at 45 – 44. Kymora Johnson scored eight of her 13 points in the third frame and Gabby White keyed a 7 – 0 run. Virginia pounded Duke on the boards and forced eight turnovers. For good measure, Virginia scored the first three baskets of the fourth quarter, denying Duke a bucket for the first three plus minutes of the fourth. With seven minutes remaining, Virginia was leading Duke 51 – 45.

Minus

Momentum is a strange thing. One minute you have it – Virginia up by six – and two minutes later you don’t. Duke went on an 11 – 0 run, Virginia committed a shot-clock violation amongst other misfires, and it was down to fouling and watching Duke make free throws.

Minus

Kymora Johnson had a strangely passive game. Part of this is the Duke defense, amongst the best in the country, as both Ashlon Jackson and Taina Mair drew the assignment for stopping Johnson. And it worked. Jackson is just a taller, faster Paris Clark and Mair has, in her third year under Kara Lawson, become quite a good defender. Twice, late in the shot clock, the ball was in Johnson’s hands, and rather than take the shot, she passed it up, once leading to the aforementioned shot-clock violation and the other a horribly bricked shot. Johnson is the stud on this team. If she can’t make that shot, there is no one else on the team who can. For the game, Johnson scored 13 points on 5/12 shooting, including 1/5 from deep. She had no assists, the first time that has ever happened in her career, and she had three turnovers. She also had three passes that went no where and aren’t TOs because teammates chased the ball down. Virginia simply isn’t beating Duke without a better game from Johnson.

Minus

Paris Clark also struggled to score. She was 1/6, and not one of her shots was a good take. They were awkward and forced. Such is the Duke defense. Clark did have five rebounds, five steals, four assists and not a single turnover. Virginia needs Clark to be a consistent double-digit scorer if they want to win tournament games come March.

Plus

While Tabitha Amanze got schooled on the defensive end by Fournier, she was solid in the post, going for 20 points. She was efficient on the offensive end (6/11) but she had a career night at the line, going 8/8. She’s a career 60% foul shooter, but she’s improving game by game and is now almost at 70% from the line this season.

Plus

Gabby White has extricated herself from coach Agugua-Hamilton’s doghouse. After averaging just five minutes a game for the past four games, White had 28 minutes and possessed the best box +/- on the team with 13. She played the entire second half. Perhaps coach Mox knew that playing in her home town (she’s from the Triangle) and family would be a boost, but this team needs more from White that Mox has allowed her thus far in ACC play.

Minus

Seven games into the ACC slate and I don’t think coach Mox has figured out her rotations yet. I just discussed White. Adeang Ring did not get into the game, and per new ACC injury reporting, she was listed as available. Romi Levy, the wing who makes Virginia’s lineup huge, played the first five minutes of the game, and then sat the rest of the way. Everyone on Duke is faster than she is, and to be frank, Levy didn’t stand out in her five minutes, but she does create mismatches of her own. Mox did get Sa’Myah Smith back after a two-game absence, but working players back into the rotation is part of the coaching job. Maybe it was the game plan. Virginia only took seven shots from deep, which has to be a tactical decision, doesn’t it? Jillian Brown played just seven minutes as Mox basically went seven-deep. Yeah, yeah, next one up mentality and all that, but it’s hard on players when their playing time gets yanked around as it has been the past three or four games.

Next Up: Virginia gets a chance to right the ship as they host a poor Pittsburgh team on their break week, next Thursday, January 22nd. Tip off is 7:00pm and the game is on ACC Network Extra.