UVA Women's Basketball Falls at No. 21 NC State 73-68

Virginia women’s basketball dropped a heartbreaker to NC State 73-68 on Sunday afternoon in Raleigh. No team led by more than five as the game came down to the final possession. The Hoos came up just short yet again on their quest for a ranked upset. Here are some quick takeaways.

Paris Clark and Latasha Lattimore carry the Hoos early

The Hoos trailed 16-15 at the end of a competitive first quarter. Clark and Lattimore combined for all 15 points and willed the Hoos to stay in the game. Mo Johnson struggled to start the game, shooting 0/4 with a turnover, but her teammates picked up the slack immediately. Johnson is the backbone of this team, but staying competitive with a very good NC State team despite Johnson’s rough start is certainly an improvement. With only three turnovers in the first quarter, the Hoos played quick, but poised and never allowed the Wolfpack to pull away.

UVA’s offense scores at all levels

Virginia scored 20 of their 35 first half points in the paint, which is another dramatic improvement from earlier in the season. The Cavaliers' interior passing was the best of the season as they continually found the extra pass, highlighted by Paris Clark’s three first half assists. At the same time, the Hoos shot 10/21 from deep on Sunday. For a team in the bottom half of the ACC in three point percentage, this was another welcome change. With only seven turnovers and NC State with only three offensive rebounds, it seemed that UVA was turning a corner in these categories, until the second half...

Turnovers and rebounding regress in the second half

Unlike the first half, the Hoos struggled to possess the ball and made some poor decisions on offense. UVA committed 12 second half turnovers and allowed 11 offensive rebounds (all in the fourth quarter), including six on just two possessions. In their better games this season, Coach Mox’s squad has found ways to push the pace and play their style without becoming careless. Unfortunately in the second half, the Hoos made a couple key mistakes that cost them critical possessions and opportunities. The offensive rebounding was significantly improved Sunday, except two key possessions in the fourth quarter when NC State recorded three consecutive offensive rebounds twice, leading to two huge buckets for the Wolfpack. These were backbreaking opportunities that the Hoos couldn’t stop and ultimately cost them an opportunity to win.

Despite this, the Hoos simply refuse to go away

Reminiscent of last season's ranked upsets, Virginia would not disappear, even as NC State made some massive shots. With six minutes left, NC State took a three point lead off an 8-2 run. With a raucous crowd, the Wolfpack seemed poised to pull away until Mo Johnson hit a massive three and UVA followed it up with a stop and their first second chance points of the night from Breona Hurd. After allowing three straight offensive rebounds and then a three point play, Paris Clark came up with a massive block and coast-to-coast bucket to turn the momentum back to the Hoos. These two moments highlight the fight this team showcased Sunday against a talented team. UVA finished with eight blocks and six steals, a testament to their grit.

Ultimately UVA comes up just short again (with absolutely no help from the officials)

Virginia absolutely could have gotten a couple more rebounds or a few more baskets to win the game. At the same time, a couple questionable (to put it kindly) calls from the officiating crew dampened UVA’s opportunities to take the lead in the final minutes. With 1:16 left, Mo Johnson went up for a defensive rebound off an NC State miss and seemed to grab the rebound before losing it from an NC State tug, no call. Then after the Wolfpack score, Paris Clark was called for a phantom travel with 39 seconds left on a play that really should have put Clark on the line and the Hoos in the lead. The CW announcers adamantly disagreed with the call and I have to agree with them.

Ultimately the Hoos couldn’t execute an inbounds play to tie the game in the final seconds, but Lattimore’s 6/6 from the line and key defensive stops from the Hoos kept them in this one until the end.

It is very difficult to go into a sold out arena and pull off an upset against the No. 21 team in the country, but it is even tougher when it seems like the Hoos could not get a whistle in the final stretch. Similar to Duke last week, this was another great showing from UVA and fans should be very excited about the trajectory of this team. But with a NET ranking of 83 going into the day, including one Quad 4 loss and three Quad 3 losses, the Cavaliers are going to have to find themselves on the winning side of these close games if they want to get back on the good side of the bubble.

Up next, the Cavaliers (11-8, 3-4 ACC) will look to get back in the win column as they host No. 17 Georgia Tech on Thursday at 7pm on ACC Extra in another resume boosting opportunity against a ranked opponent.

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