What figured to be a shooter’s gym Wednesday night for both teams as Virginia squared off against N.C. State at Broughton High School in Raleigh, N.C., did not lend itself to a higher scoring affair.
Virginia (13-9, 3-5 ACC) shot 37.7 percent from the floor in a 63-52 loss. The Wolfpack (14-6, 5-2 ACC) tacked onto its lead late at the free-throw line, finishing slightly below a season average of 69 points per game, while the Cavaliers barely escaped the 40s, thanks to a hurried Breyana Mason three-pointer with 23 seconds remaining.
Believing, like her colleague Tony Bennett had the night before, that no lead was ever out of reach, Coach Joanne Boyle quickly called timeout. Her team faced even slighter odds, though, down nine. After an ensuing foul, N.C. State junior guard Miah Spencer drained both attempts from the line. Then, Virginia’s 17th turnover allowed the Wolfpack to run out the clock.
Spencer and redshirt-junior guard Dominique Wilson did a lot of damage Wednesday night. The duo combined for 42 points on 30 shots, in addition to six assists and five steals. Senior center Carlee Schuhmacher and junior guard Ashley Williams chipped in eight and seven apiece.
The Cavaliers again relied on their pair of guards, sophomore Mikayla Venson and junior Breyana Mason, to produce nearly half of its total points. Venson wasn’t particularly efficient Wednesday night, tallying 14 points on 4-11 shooting. Mason finished with 11 points on 5-8 and six rebounds.
Virginia did receive an offensive boost from two of its sophomores. Forward Lauren Moses, a former ESPNW top-100 recruit, contributed 10 points while limited by foul trouble. Moses managed only three boards, however, and N.C. State outrebounded the Cavaliers 34-31. Guard J’Kyra Brown added nine points on three trifectas.
Virginia will return home to Charlottesville before heading south for another road game, this one at Duke.
—compiled by Grant Gossage
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