The Cavaliers faced three 2015 NCAA Tournament teams in three days at the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
On Thanksgiving afternoon, while many Americans feasted or napped, Virginia took the court against Green Bay (3-2). The Phoenix jumped out to a 12-4 lead behind junior center Lexi Weitzer’s six points and extended the gap to double digits by the second quarter.
The Cavaliers trailed by as many as 14 points in the game, but sophomore point guard Mikayla Venson’s three and junior guard Breyana Mason’s jumper cut the Virginia deficit to eight points.
The Cavaliers snatched a one-point lead with 2:46 remaining in the third period, as Mason drained both free throws. She and Venson continued to attack the rim, draw contact and convert at the charity stripe.
Virginia went on a 21-9 run that spanned the end of the third quarter to the end of the fourth. Venson scored 11 points during that stretch and finished with a game-high 25 points on 7-13 shooting. Mason and senior guard Faith Randolph contributed 16 and 15, respectively. Junior guard Tesha Buck led Green Bay with 24 points.
The Cavalier defense made consecutive stops on several occasions to preserve a two or three-possession lead. Virginia beat a solid Phoenix team 68-59 to advance to 5-0 and immediately switched gears to prepare for a game the following day against Rutgers (5-2).
The Scarlet Knights, an 8 seed in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, handed the Cavaliers their first loss of the young season 60-48. Coach Joanne Boyle cannot expect her Virginia team to win if the team shoots as poorly as it did Friday night.
The Cavaliers shot 28.8 percent from the floor, including a 21.1 percent mark from behind the three-point line. Venson followed up her efficient 25-point performance with 10 points on four of 18 shooting, while Randolph scored only five points.
Sophomore forward Lauren Moses was perhaps the only bright spot for Virginia on the offensive end. Moses hit several big shots to keep the Cavaliers in the game.
After senior forward Kahleah Copper knocked down a three to extend Rutgers’ lead to seven, Moses answered back with 1:13 remaining the third quarter. Her jumper made it a two-possession game. Virginia eventually narrowed the deficit to two but saw it slip back above six until the horn sounded.
In their final matchup of the Paradise Jam, the Cavaliers fell 67-62 to Tulane (4-3). Virginia’s shooting woes continued, as the team shot 34.9 percent from the floor compared to the Green Wave’s mark of 44.2. Randolph led the Cavaliers with 19 points on 6-20 shooting.
The Cavaliers never led the contest, but twice erased nine-point gaps to level the score at 20 in the second quarter and at 40 in the third. Led by sophomore guard Kolby Morgan, who finished with 19 points, and senior forward Tierra Jones, who added 14, Tulane responded with runs of its own.
Virginia trailed by ten with 1:28 left. Time ran out for the Cavaliers to mount another comeback.
Virginia will return to the hardwood Wednesday night at home against Iowa (6-1). The Hawkeyes were a 3-seed in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
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