The Plus/Minus: Virginia Women’s Basketball Thrashes William & Mary

Plus

As the game started, did the women know that the men (who tipped off just an hour earlier up in DC) were putting a beat down on the #12 Arkansas Razorbacks? The women sure played like they did, wanting to win just as decisively. Virginia jumped out to a 33 – 8 lead to end the first quarter and the game was effectively over at that point.

Plus

What a first quarter. The Hoos shot 60% from the floor and were 7/11 (64%) from deep. Kymora Johnson put up 15 points in that first frame as she was 4/4 from beyond the arc. Lyla Coogan, Adeang Ring and Olivia McGhee also contributed to the three-point barrage, and the team recorded eight assists on the quarter’s twelve made buckets.

Plus

Breona Hurd, a junior who regressed for much of last season, had her finest game in a long while. Hurd was near perfect from the floor, going 9/12 and scoring 19 points. She also had seven rebounds and three assists. Virginia, as would be expected against a CAA team in William & Mary, had a huge size advantage in the 6’ 5” Ring and 6’ 5” Caterin Piatti, but it was Hurd who was the force in the lane and six of her seven rebounds were of the offensive variety.

Minus

Hurd, however, is not a very good free throw shooter, as for her career she connects on just over 62% from the pinstripe. She was 0/3 on this day, which is disappointing because she had gotten off to a good start this season, going 6 for 8 over the first two games.

Plus

Eris Lester made her season debut tonight and she was all high-twitch energy today. A wing, she moves through the lane very quickly and she should be very good in back door plays. She scored 11 points on 5/8 shooting and she was a beast on the defensive glass, grabbing six rebounds in 16 minutes.

Minus

William & Mary was nine for 32 from three-point range. That is just 28% and would seem to indicate that Virginia was playing good defense. That would not be the right takeaway in this instance. Most of these shots were from wide open shooters; W&M got very good looks. They just weren’t very good. Virginia is going to have to get much better defending the three-point line if they want to be successful once ACC play begins.

Plus

Virginia was 15/31 from deep. Eight different players hit a trey while Johnson was 5/5 and Olivia McGhee was 3/4. McGhee has struggled to put it all together in her three years in Charlottesville, and if you wanted an analogous player on the men’s side, it might be Elijah Gertrude. McGhee is equally athletic – she runs the court better than any other Hoo – and she ought to be shooting from deep like Gertrude has thus far in this young season. McGhee owns the prettiest jump shot on either the men’s or women’s teams.

Next Up: Virginia hosts Drexel on Wednesday, November 11th at 6:00pm. The game will be available on ACC Network Extra.

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