Virginia picked up a 63-55 victory over UNLV on Friday in the opening round of the Duel in the Desert tournament in Las Vegas.
UNLV (3-8) led by as many as six in the first quarter, but the Cavaliers (5-5) opened the second period on a 10-0 run and held a 26-23 advantage at halftime.
A 14-0 run to start the third quarter helped the Cavaliers build a 17-point lead.
Senior guard Jocelyn Willoughby had a double-double with a team-high 17 points with 10 rebounds. Freshman guard Shemera Williams scored 13 points.
Haley Rydlach led UNLV with a 10-point performance.
Virginia will face No. 15 Mississippi State (9-2) on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET to play for the tournament’s title.
“Tomorrow, against Mississippi State, we are going to get after it,” UVA coach Tina Thompson said in a news release. “We play the schedule that we play for a reason. If we want to be one of the top teams in the country, then we are going to have to play the top teams, and we are going to have to win, so we are going to come out playing tough. We are going to play our defense and are definitely going to try to keep them from pounding the ball inside. It is one of the things that they do.”
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