If any one play could sum up the Virginia women’s basketball team’s 85-68 torching of No. 17 Florida State Sunday afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena, it may well have come in the closing seconds of the first half, when senior guard Ataira Franklin’s 15-foot jump shot rolled off the rim.
Sophomore guard Faith Randolph saved the ball from bouncing out of bounds, flinging it from the baseline to redshirt senior guard Lexie Gerson on the left wing. Randolph floated to the left corner, received the ball back from Gerson, and rose up with six seconds to play. The ball fell through the net, giving Randolph 20 points, Gerson five assists, and Virginia a 47-31 lead entering the break.
“My shot felt good today, and Frankie and Lexie just gave me open passes,” Randolph said. “I was just able to knock it down.”
Randolph scored a career-high 26 points, and Virginia (9-9, 2-3 ACC) knocked down 10-of-19 shots from long-range to score its first win against a ranked team this season. Gerson held down the power forward position in the Cavalier’s small starting lineup, and she handed out assists — eight total — all game long.
“Everyone was just making shots,” Gerson said. “I was just trying to get them easy layups or swings. They were making me look good, honestly.”
With Randolph firing on all cylinders, Gerson carving up Florida State’s 1-3-1 zone and Franklin putting up an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double, Virginia looked like the ranked team from the opening minutes. The Cavaliers got off to a blistering start on defense, forcing the Seminoles (14-4, 2-3 ACC) into six turnovers in the first five minutes of the game en route to a 12-3 lead. Randolph put Virginia up by 10 points with the first of her four 3-pointers, and the Cavaliers led by double-digits the rest of the way.
Virginia lost to No. 3 Duke by 35 on Sunday, but coach Joanne Boyle and the Cavaliers were far more interested in talking about their response to that defeat than the shellacking itself.
“There’s a spirit about this team that they’re not going to lay down and die,” Boyle said. “It’s not going to be that we’re going to be perfect every game, so I was glad to see how we regrouped.”
Randolph became Virginia’s leading scorer on the season, raising her average to 12.9 points per game. The Cavaliers, however, have no problem with their highest scoring player coming off the bench.
“I always say this: that the sixth man is your most important player on the team,” Gerson said. “I used to be the sixth man, so I know. I think Faith has been doing an unbelievable job coming off the bench and being that spark.”
Randolph also believes that coming off the bench has helped her improve her play and provide a spark for her team.
“I kind of use it as an advantage by watching the game and see[ing] what we need, like where the defense is [and] where I can get my shot off,” Randolph said. “So, it’s kind of helpful sometimes seeing the game before actually being in it.”
Though Randolph was an observer for the first 4:53 on Sunday, she did not see much more of the bench once she got into the game. Randolph logged 33 minutes on the afternoon, third on the team behind Franklin and Gerson.
“The great thing about Faith is she doesn’t care [whether she starts],” Boyle said. “It is what it is, and she’s always going to deliver. One day, believe me, it will happen.”
Florida State sophomore guard Emiah Bingley came off the bench to provide a boost for her team, sinking 5-of-9 3-pointers on her way to a team-high 21 points. Aside from Bingley and senior forward Natasha Howard, however, the Seminoles looked out of sorts.
The starting guard corps of redshirt sophomore Morgan Jones, senior Cheetah Delgado and freshman Brittany Brown combined to go 3-for-19 from the floor. The Seminoles’ cold-shooting was accompanied by an unsightly 16-to-27 assist-to-turnover ratio, with many of the gaffes coming on errant passes against Virginia’s zone press.
The Cavaliers, who play at home against Maryland Thursday night, believe they are moving in the right direction after their performance against the Seminoles.
“I have 100 percent — 114 percent — faith in my team and what we are capable of doing, and I’m excited about the future,” Gerson said. “I think this was a big step for us, just the way it felt. It was really fun and I just felt like everyone was full of passion.”
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