UVA Women's Basketball Falls to Cal 76-70

Virginia women’s basketball (13-14, 5-10 ACC) lost a back and forth battle 76-70 to California (22-6, 10-5 ACC) on Thursday night at John Paul Jones Arena. After leading for most of the first half, the Hoos gave up a 17-0 run to start the third quarter and despite rallying, couldn’t do enough down the stretch to get a win. Let’s look at some quick takeaways.

Hoos compete on both ends in the first half

The first two quarters were close, but could not have been more different. The Hoos took the first quarter in a high flying 22-20 period and followed it up with a methodical 13-10 second frame. The Cavs shot 50% from the field and 67% from three in the first quarter and matched Cal’s impressive offensive flurry. Although UVA gave up eight offensive rebounds in the first half, Virginia only turned the ball over three times and played very solid matchup defense in the second period against a dangerous Cal offense, limiting them to 4/17 from the field.

Unfortunately for Coach Mox’s squad, the Hoos couldn’t capitalize on this improved defense in the second frame and only scored 12 points of their own on 5/15 shooting and 1/7 from deep. However, after struggling to start against ACC opponents, the Hoos went to halftime up by five points after playing a very solid first half.

Inconsistency plagues the Hoos again

However, immediately out of halftime, the tide quickly turned. Cal scored the first 17 points of the second half and turned a five point deficit into a 12 point lead. After only three first half turnovers, UVA committed four in the first four minutes of the second half. Although UVA generated some decent looks on offense, they just could not get any shots to fall. The Hoos' defense capitulated in these minutes, allowing offensive rebounds, transition threes, and easy layups. Cal plays fast and can spread the ball around (all five starters average double digits), but UVA made it too easy after a really encouraging second period.

I sound like a broken record in these recaps, but UVA will be unable to take the next step as a team and a program if they continue to have these game changing five minute stretches. Coach Mox’s team deserves a lot of credit for how they rallied and actually regained the lead in the third quarter, but ultimately this run changed the game and it was all too familiar for Wahoo fans.

Mo Johnson impresses yet again

While she fell short of back-to-back triple doubles, Johnson had another spectacular showing with 24 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. In the fourth quarter as UVA struggled to find points, Mo converted two incredible acrobatic layups to prolong the game in the final two minutes. Without Cam Taylor, who was a go-to option for a much-needed bucket during droughts, UVA has struggled to find reliable points during their tough stretches and Mo did a nice job of providing those buckets tonight. Edessa Noyan also contributed a key 11 points on just five shots, converting all three triples she attempted. On a night where Latasha Lattimore struggled (six points on 3/11 shooting), Noyan picked up the slack in a very nice way.

UVA fails to take the next step

Despite rallying to take the lead in the third and early fourth quarters, UVA ran out of gas in the middle of the fourth and Cal made some huge three pointers. Ultimately, UVA did not have an answer for Ioanna Krimili, who converted six threes, including two consecutive in the fourth quarter.

With yet another close ACC loss, the Cavaliers fall to 13-14 on the year and 5-10 in the ACC. Only the top 15 of the 18 ACC schools will make the ACC tournament. UVA should already have enough wins to qualify, but one win in their final three games would clinch a spot. The Hoos know they will not receive a bye, so they will need to win five games in five days for a shot at the NCAA tournament.

The Hoos will look to get back in the win column as they host Stanford on Sunday at 6pm on ACC Network.

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