Women’s basketball: UVA falls 57-44 to Radford

The UVA women’s basketball team (4-6, 0-0 ACC) fell 57-44 to Radford (4-3, 0-0 Big South) on Saturday (Dec. 8) at John Paul Jones Arena.

Junior forward Lisa Jablonowski (Ernster, Luxembourg) led the team in scoring (11 points) and rebounding (11 rebounds). Junior guard Jocelyn Willoughby (East Orange, N.J.) also posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Destinee Walker led Radford with 18 points. Lydia Rivers grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds. Virginia shot 24.6 percent (14-of-57), going 1-of-13 from three-point range. Radford went 24-of-59 (40.7 percent) from the field. Virginia held a 42-39 edge in rebounding.

Radford dominated in the second period, outscoring the Cavaliers 21-4 in the frame to take a 35-16 lead into the halftime break. The Highlanders built up a 22-point advantage, leading 42-20 with 5:18 remaining in the third quarter, but the Cavaliers mounted a rally, scoring the final 11 points of the period, including six straight from sophomore guard Khyasia Caldwell (Pocono Summit, Pa.) to cut the deficit to 10, 45-35, heading into the final quarter.

A three-pointer by sophomore guard Brianna Tinsley (Madison, Va.) made it a single-digit game, 52-43, with 3:35 remaining, but Jen Falconer answered with a three for the Highlanders. Virginia missed a three-point attempt on its next possession, with Radford converting a layup in the paint to build up a 14-point advantage in the final 2:26 and held on for the victory.