The UVA women’s basketball team (4-1) lost for the first time this season, falling 64-62 against Toledo (1-2) at the FIU Thanksgiving Classic Tournament on Friday (Nov. 28).
Faith Randolph (Derwood, Md.) had her third 20-point game of the season, scoring 21 points, including going 5-of-10 from three-point range, before fouling out with 1:38 remaining. Freshman forward Lauren Moses (Mount Holly, N.J.) scored 14 points with eight rebounds.
Toledo’s Inma Zanoguera scored 24 points, including hitting the game-winning three-pointer with five seconds remaining, with 10 assists and five rebounds, going 7-of-9 from the field, 4-of-4 from three-point range and 6-of-6 from the line.
“This was a tough loss,” said Virginia head coach Joanne Boyle. “Toledo was well-prepared and played a great game. I don’t think we took anything away from them. I think we got caught letting them run their stuff. I thought we took quick shots and, especially at the end, we were running back in transition and not getting in good position on defense. We had a lot of miscommunication on the defensive end of the floor and some lapses that we haven’t had this year. We also didn’t get any easy transition baskets and had to go against their half-court defense all night.”
The Cavaliers will face host-school florida international on Sunday (Nov. 30) at 2 p.m. in the tournament’s consolation final. Arizona defeated FIU, 66-58, in the opening game and will face Toledo in the championship game Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
Virginia held a 10-point lead, 51-41, with 11 minutes remaining in the game, but florida international chipped away at the deficit, coming back to tie and then take a 56-55 lead with 3:22 remaining. The final minute of play included three lead changes beginning with Toledo taking a 61-60 lead with 32 seconds remaining after Virginia committed an offensive foul. Freshman guard Mikayla Venson (Arlington, Va.) swung the score back in UVa’s favor, pulling up for a free-throw-line jump shot with 13 seconds remaining. Zanoguera hit a three-pointer with five seconds left in the game to give the Rockets a 64-62 lead. Venson fired off a three-point attempt as the buzzer sounded, but it clanged off the rim.
Virginia led for the first nine minutes of the game, but the Rockets made six-straight field goal attempts to take an 18-15 lead with 9:54 remaining in the half. Virginia used an 11-0 run later in the half, capped by a layup by Imovbioh with 3:09remaining in the period, to take a 31-23 lead. Toledo scored five-straight points but Venson hit a pull-up jumper to send Virginia into the break with a 33-27 lead.
Virginia shot 40.0 percent from the field overall, but went 10-of-30 in the second half. Toledo shot 47.8 percent, but were 12-of-24 in the second half. Virginia outrebounded Toledo, 35-30, scoring 14 second-chance points to the Rocket’s eight. Toledo committed 12 turnovers while Virginia made nine, but the Rockets had 16 points off UVa miscues while the Cavaliers scored eight points off turnovers.
Share
Chris Graham
