Plus/Minus: Virginia Women Stumble Late to Wofford
Virginia women's basketball suffered a stunning buzzer-beating upset loss to Wofford 71-70 on Saturday afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena. Val has the Plus/Minus to break down what we saw from the Cavaliers in the loss.
Minus
The rust was pretty evident as Virginia returned to the hardwood after a 10-day exam break. The Hoos struggled to defend the perimeter as multiple Terriers were able to drive into the lane almost at will. Wofford had only one player over six foot, and yet were very effective in the paint, hanging close to the Cavaliers, scoring 28 points in the paint to Virginia’s 35.
Minus
Virginia just can’t shake off the injury bug. Edessa Noyan sat out due to concussion protocols as did Yonta Vaughn who had tweaked “something.” And this is after a 10-day break. To make matters worse, Sam Brunelle sat out the entire second half due to an unspecified injury.
Minus
Something is brewing on this team. Camryn Taylor, the team’s best player, sat out the first half. Benchings for the first half usually signify some disciplinary issue. Taylor was her usual forceful self in the second half, scoring 13 points and grabbing three offensive rebounds in just 16 minutes. After the game, the players held a players-only meeting that was still running after 30 minutes and after players’ families had been cleared from JPJ ahead of the men’s game later in the evening.
Plus
Olivia McGhee had her best game as a Cavalier. She got off to a quick start, something the Cavaliers need more of in general, and scored seven of her team-high 14 points in the first frame. She hit a corner three and ran well in transition.
If she's not there, Johnson is far more likely to try to go 1 v 2 at the rim. McGhee played a season-high 26 minutes and she looked comfortable on the court.
See also: Matt's got the game report and Coach Mox's reaction to the kind of defense that allowed Rose to be one assist away from a triple-double.
Plus
Had this been a win, the headlines would rave about McGhee, Taylor’s 13-point second half, and Paris Clark who matched McGhee’s 14 points but on very efficient 5/9 shooting. The most important player in the game for Virginia, though, was Alexia Smith who drew the defensive assignment of slowing down Wofford’s Rachael Rose in the second half. Let me tell you, Rachael Rose can ball. She’s the Southern Conference’s reigning player of the year (an award she won as a sophomore) and she was the best player on the court. In the first half, Kymora Johnson, Clark, Kaydan Lawson and Jillian Brown all drew the short straw in trying to contain her. She blitzed by them all en route to 13 points, five rebounds and five assists. Smith got her in the second half, and with some help from Cam Taylor fighting off the screen, kept her from getting into the lane. Smith made Rose work. Midway through the fourth quarter Rose got free for a pair of layups that she tanked. She missed them both, largely because she was beat. With 50 seconds left and Virginia down by 1, Smith forced a 10-second violation on Rose, giving Virginia the chance to win the game. The fact they didn’t should in no way diminish the fact that Smith was the defensive stopper on the day.
Minus
Virginia still can’t shoot the three. The women went 4/17 whereas Wofford was 11/26. The team started well enough. Smith made the team’s first three. She was truly in the corner and the pass came after dribble penetration.
McGhee, also in the corner, made the team’s second trey after Johnson’s penetration into the lane. In between those two makes, Brown found Brunelle for a rhythm three in transition. Brown travelled, but it was the right idea. Corner threes, threes after a dribble drive, finding Brunelle in transition, these are all my prescription for what ails a sickly three-point game. It was clicking in the first quarter, not so much for the rest of the game.
Plus
Virginia benefitted from some home-cooked refereeing. The team got away with contact all game long that was called on Wofford.
Plus
For the seventh time this year, the Virginia bench scored over 25 points. The figure is inflated a bit because all of Taylor’s points were considered “off the bench” but depth is still a core strength for this club.
Plus
Despite the injury and presumed disciplinary reasons, Virginia was still in position to win the game. This play should have done it. Very nicely done by Paris Clark.
And speaking of Clark, it was reported this weekend that Clark and Ryan Dunn spent some time at the same high school and that Ryan was a part of the recruiting process in bringing Clark to Grounds. Well done Ryan, well done.
Next Up: Virginia welcomes Fordham on Thursday, December 21st. Game time is at 6pm and will be on the ACC Network.
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