In need of a statement win to put on its NCAA Tournament resume, the Virginia women’s basketball team stepped up in a big way against its most difficult opponent of the season. The Cavaliers (17-9, 6-7 ACC) pulled out a huge upset against No. 4 Florida State, 60-51.
Virginia came to play against the Seminoles (23-4, 11-2 ACC), never looking overmatched against one of the most — if not the most — deep and talented teams in the ACC. The Cavaliers went shot-for-shot at the beginning of the game, but Virginia closed the first quarter on a 10-0 run, jumping out to a 16-11 lead. Florida State came back in the second frame, and the teams went into halftime knotted at 26-26.
The Seminoles’ hot scoring carried over to the third quarter, leading by as many as eight points as the frame progressed. However, the Cavaliers hung around to keep the score at a manageable 46-41 as the fourth quarter opened.
The teams traded possessions for most of the first half of the fourth quarter, but the Cavaliers mustered seven points to the Seminoles two in the early going to even the score at 48 with 6:24 remaining. A three-pointer by freshman guard Dominique Toussaint put the Cavaliers up for good with 1:28 remaining as they held the Seminoles scoreless for the last three minutes. When the dust settled, the Cavaliers found themselves in the win column after allowing only five points in the fourth quarter while putting up 19.
Toussaint led the Cavaliers with 14 points, and junior guard J’Kyra Brown chipped in 10 points and six rebounds to continue her solid play in the last few weeks. In the fourth quarter, however, it was the Breyana Mason show, as the senior guard took over the game with six points in the final frame to lead the Cavaliers’ comeback bid. Virginia also outrebounded one of the toughest team on the glass 42-32. Defensively, the Cavaliers held a Florida State squad that averages over 80 points per game to 51 points on 35 percent shooting.
Virginia has played a lot of close games and suffered some tough losses to good teams in the ACC, but finally saw its hard work make a difference in a huge game as they took down the No. 4 team in the country. With the NCAA selection committee on high alert after the big win, the Cavaliers will look to continue their momentum Sunday when they travel to Blacksburg to take on archrival Virginia Tech.
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