Women’s basketball: UVA picks up 66-43 win at Georgia

The UVA women’s basketball team (8-2, 0-0 ACC) picked up a 66-43 victory at Georgia (7-4, 0-0 SEC) on Monday (Dec. 19) at the Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga.

The Cavaliers started the game on a 14-1 run and finished just as strong, outscoring Georgia 15-5 in the fourth quarter. Virginia scored 20 points off 20 Georgia turnovers and outscored the Lady Bulldogs 32-16 in the paint in Georgia’s first home loss of the season.

“I am really proud of this team,” said Virginia head coach Joanne Boyle. “They knew how good Georgia has been and will continue to be. They took it upon themselves to come in here to a SEC opponent’s home floor and really dial in for 40 minutes. We kept changing defenses and I think that really helped with the energy and effort by this team. It’s one of the best performances we have had all year and I hope this is the team we will continue to see and grow from here. They have bought in and are hungry for wins. If they continue to give the type of effort they did tonight, there will be a lot more wins for us.”

Freshman guard Jocelyn Willoughby (East Orange, N.J.) had her third double-double of the year, scoring 13 points with 10 rebounds while also grabbing six steals. Senior guard Breyana Mason (Woodbridge, Va.) scored 12 points, going 6-of-13 from the field, with three steals and two assists.

Mackenzie Engram came off the bench to score 18 points for Georgia. Caliya Robinson scored 10 points with nine rebounds.

Virginia dominated the first half, starting the game on a 10-0 run in the first five minutes of the game, extending it out to a 14-1 advantage over seven minutes as the Cavalier pressure defense caused Georgia to miss its first 10 shots while also forcing six early turnovers. Willoughby scored six points in the quarter, helping the Cavaliers go 8-of-13 from the field to build up a 19-10 advantage.

In the second, however, the Cavaliers went just 1-of-6 from the field during an early portion of the quarter and 1-of-10 to close out the period. Georgia, which made just three of 10 free throw attempts in the first half, was not able to fully capitalize on UVA’s cold shooting spells, and went into the break trailing 32-24.

Virginia came out hot in the second half, making five of its first eight attempts with Mason grabbing a steal and then converting a layup to give UVA a 44-30 lead with five minutes left in the quarter. Freshman forward Lisa Jablonowski (Ernster, Luxembourg) and Willoughby trapped a Georgia guard on the sideline, causing another turnover, which freshman center Felicia Aieyotan (Lagos, Nigeria) converted into two points after a layup. Jablonowski followed with another jumper to give UVA a 49-30 lead as part of a 9-0 Virginia run. Georgia followed with an 8-0 run of its own, narrowing the gap back down to 11 points before Mason hit a jumper to end the quarter, sending UVA into the fourth with a 51-38 advantage.

Willoughby and freshman guard Dominique Toussaint (Staten Island, N.Y.) opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back buckets, but UGA’s Simone Costa hit a three-pointer with 8:55 remaining to make it 55-41. It was the only basket that the Lady Bulldogs would make in the period. Georgia added three free throws, but went 1-of-11 from the field in the period. Virginia’s offense, however, kept clicking, with Jablonowski hitting a three-pointer with 3:20 remaining to give UVA a 62-41 lead.

Aiyeotan scored eight points with nine rebounds and two blocked shots in 15 minutes. Toussaint finished with 13 points, with two assists and three rebounds.

Virginia finished the game shooting 43.5 percent (27-of-62) while Georgia went 16-of-51 (31.4 percent). UVA outrebounded UGA, 42-35.

The Cavaliers return to John Paul Jones Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 21, hosting Maryland Eastern Shore at 7 p.m.

Single-game ticket prices for all home games are $10 for Reserved seating, $8 for adult General Admission and $6 for youth (18 & under), senior (60 & over) and UVA faculty/staff General Admission. Fans may purchase home game tickets through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office online at VirginiaSports.com, by phone and in person. The Virginia Athletics Ticket Office is located in Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium and open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Telephone purchases can be made by calling 1-800-542-UVA1 (8821) or locally at 434-924-UVA1 (8821).