The Virginia women’s basketball team (10-4) closed out the two-day Cavalier Classic Tournament Presented by Holiday Inn University Area with a 71-51 victory over Richmond (7-6) on Tuesday (Dec. 29) at John Paul Jones Arena.
Virginia got off to a slow start, trailing 4-0 to start the game but held a 17-8 lead by the end of the first quarter and a 41-23 advantage at halftime. UVA used its size advantage to gain a 30-18 scoring edge in the paint and a +12 rebounding margin to close out the non-conference portion of the schedule at 10-4.
“We are happy to come out of the Cavalier Classic as the winners,” said Virginia head coach Joanne Boyle. “We have been preaching about rebounding so to come out 43 to 31 on the boards was good for us. We’ve been talking about offensive rebounding, I thought Lauren [Moses] did a great job tonight getting seven for us. I feel like we are really pushing tempo and taking good shots for the most part. I think the flow, our assists, that we are moving the ball well. It’s great to be going into the ACC at 10-4. Obviously, we still have things to work on, but it’s a good start to the season and just excited for Sunday.”
Sophomore Lauren Moses (Mount Holly, N.J.) was named the tournament MVP after logging her third double-double of the season, scoring 13 points with a career-high 14 rebounds.
Sophomore Mikayla Venson (Arlington, Va.), Richmond’s Janelle Hubbard and Karleigh Wike, Coppin State’s Omaah Tayong and Lafayette’s Jamie O’Hare were also named to the All-Cavalier Classic Tournament team.
After falling into an early 4-0 hole, the Cavaliers rattled off a 9-0 run in the first quarter, capped by a three from Venson. On the defensive end, Moses grabbed eight rebounds in the first 8:03 of the game and helped stifle the Spider offense. Richmond failed to score in the final 4:59 of the first period while the Cavaliers scored eight unanswered points, including a last-second off-balance runner in the lane from Venson. UVA led 17-8 heading into the second quarter.
The Cavaliers put the game out of reach early in the second quarter. Sophomore Aliyah Huland El (Randolph, N.J.) hit a three-pointer to start the period, the beginning of a 10-2 run for the Cavaliers. Richmond found momentum midway through the second period, but could not stop the Cavalier offense, which scored 24 points in the frame, building a 41-23 lead at halftime.
Virginia had a quieter third period, leading 56-34, until junior Breyana Mason (Woodbridge, Va.) took an off-balance shot from several feet behind the half-court line right before the buzzer, swishing the ball cleanly into the net to give Virginia a 59-34 lead heading into the final quarter.
Richmond outscored the Cavaliers 17-12 in the final frame to cut the final deficit to 20.
Huland El was 6-of-9 shooting, scoring 13 points. Senior Faith Randolph (Derwood, Md.) scored 11 points with five assists. Mason scored seven points with eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Virginia committed a season-low eight turnovers while forcing 15. UVA shot 44.9 percent (31-of-69) while Richmond was 18-of-52 (34.6 percent).
The Cavaliers open up Atlantic Coast Conference play on Sunday, Jan. 3, hosting No. 23 Miami at 1 p.m. followed by a showdown with No. 3 Notre Dame on Thursday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. at John Paul Jones Arena.
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 openMonday 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).
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