UVA suffered a 72-59 loss to No. 15 Mississippi State on Saturday in the championship game of the Duel in the Desert tournament in Las Vegas.
Mississippi State (11-2) built up a double-digit lead in the first quarter, but the Cavaliers (5-6) came back to tie the game, 26-26, in the second quarter, before the Bulldogs answered with a 14-2 run to take a 40-30 advantage into halftime.
After Mississippi State outscored the Cavaliers 19-10 in the fourth quarter to build up a 23-point lead, Virginia was able to cut the deficit to 10 points with 2:39 remaining, but could not get any closer.
Senior guard Jocelyn Willoughby led all scorers with a 21-point performance. Freshman guard Kylie Kornegay-Lucas had a team-high seven rebounds. Rickea Jackson was one of four Bulldogs to finish in double figures, finishing with a team-high 17 points.
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Chris Graham
