A week ago, after a second-straight embarrassment at John Paul Jones Arena, it appeared the Virginia women’s basketball team had thrown in the towel. Coach Joanne Boyle knew no answers and had no plan to get back on track — at least involving the players at her disposal. Boos rang out following the 57-91 blowout loss to Syracuse, woeful Cavalier fans thinking back to better Debbie Ryan days.
But there are signs of life again, signs that Boyle may even retain her job. Now, senior leader Faith Randolph is back, and the Virginia women’s basketball team enters Thursday’s contest at No. 11 Louisville riding a one-game winning streak. Perhaps the better wording there is the Cavaliers (14-12, 4-8 ACC) are no longer entrenched in their near month-long losing streak.
Virginia defeated Boston College 61-50 on the road Sunday. They had last won 78-67 at Georgia Tech Jan. 17.
“It feels good,” Boyle said. “It has been a long time coming. I am really proud of the team. They played really strong for three quarters.”
Over the last 10 minutes, the Eagles outscored Virginia 18-11. Boston College trimmed the Cavalier’s comfortable 18-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter to just six points by the five-minute mark. Her Virginia team scuffling to avoid an Eagle comeback, sophomore point guard Mikayla Venson knocked down a huge three that extended the margin to nine.
The Cavaliers regained their composure in the final minutes and held on to victory. Numbers associated with her name did not exactly stick out in the box score — only two field goals on 12 attempts for four points — but Randolph had still impacted the game.
“I think she was great on the defensive end of the floor,” Boyle said. “She didn’t shoot the ball well and got stagnant there for a minute but was always able to lock down on someone.”
The last time Virginia limited a team to 50 points or fewer was at Wake Forest Jan. 10, while most students were enjoying their final week or so of winter break. Sure, Boston College has accrued a record of 1-11 in conference and not impressed offensively thus far, but the Cavaliers should feel good about their defensive performance Sunday.
The Eagles finished ten points below their season average in points and shot only 36.2 percent from the floor, including 21.1 from deep. Boston College's average field-goal percentage is 43.9 in 2015-16. Randolph added intensity, and Virginia’s pressure proved to be too much.
“I thought the kids did a great job of executing the game plan on the defensive end,” Boyle said. “They took things away from them and didn’t allow them to get the easy looks they normally get.”
Thursday promises to be a much greater challenge when the Cavaliers face the Cardinals (20-6, 11-1 ACC) at the KFC Yum! Center. Louisville defeated Virginia 59-41 Jan. 14 in Charlottesville. In their second game without Randolph, the Cavaliers struggled on the offensive end. They shot only 33.3 percent, and Venson and junior guard Breyana Mason produced over half their total points, a sign of imbalance.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals shot 42 percent, and four players — freshmen forwards Mariya Moore and Myisha Hines-Allen, freshman guard Asia Durr and junior forward Cortnee Walton — recorded double figures in scoring. Hines-Allen and Moore pose the biggest problem for opposing defenses, as they average 16.5 and 15.1, respectively.
Since the Jan. 14 matchup, Louisville has won seven of eight contests, the lone loss to then-No. 3 Notre Dame 61-66. Should Virginia have any shot of making the NCAA Tournament, other than an automatic bid from a miracle run in the ACC Tournament, it will, as a minimum, need a statement win Thursday. It seems far more likely now than in prior weeks.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.
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