Virginia freshman Brandi Teamer once again played like a true veteran to lead a young Cavaliers' team over Florida State. With her aggressive, Charles Barkley-esque, never-say-die style of play, Teamer made sure that each time the Cavaliers were down, they picked themselves back up again.
Teamer had one of the most outstanding performances of her career, leading all scorers by tying her career-high of 26 points on 8-of-19 shooting.
Florida State out-rebounded the Cavs by five. But Teamer - a 6-foot center who routinely goes up against players three or four inches taller - grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds to record her 10th double-double of the season and her sixth straight, all against ACC teams.
It mattered little that her team shot so poorly in the second half. She made a habit of pulling down missed shots by both teams.
"Brandi had a great night," Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said. "I thought she played not only with a great deal of intelligence on offense, but with a great deal of heart on defense. She played like a maniac the whole game, and I was really proud of the fact that she was able to maintain that effort."
Teamer made it clear that she was going to be an unstoppable Superwoman in the first few minutes of the game by scoring Virginia's first six points on her first three shots. (When Ryan rested Teamer a few minutes into the game, the Cavaliers didn't lose much. Senior point guard Telisha Quarles picked up the slack with six straight points of her own.)
After Teamer scored 14 points in the first half, Virginia appeared to be in control. However, the Seminoles took advantage of early offensive struggles in the second half by Virginia, which managed to score only four points in the first eight minutes.
With her team trailing 45-42 with just under 12 minutes to play, Teamer hit a huge three-pointer to bring the Cavaliers back to life. She had missed her two three-point attempts in the first half and it was only her fourth basket from beyond the arc all season, but it came when Virginia needed it most.
That momentum-changing shot sparked her teammates to start connecting from outside - they had combined to shoot 0-for-4 from downtown in the first half. Shortly after Teamer's shot, sophomore Anna Prillaman hit a three when the Cavs were down by two. Sophomore Anna Crosswhite connected on another one less than a minute later to put the Cavs ahead for good.
Along with Prillaman, Teamer hit some key free throws down the line. She led all players by attempting 14 free throws and connecting on nine of them. Ryan had nothing but praise for Teamer's leadership and ability to work as a team player.
"I think that she has done a great job of listening and doing the things that we've asked her to do," Ryan said.
Teamer admitted that she has become more comfortable since she began her rookie season, both with her own contribution to the team and with her teammates.
"I get a lot of open looks from my teammates and owe all the credit to them," Teamer said. "They're so unselfish, and a lot of them step up when I need them to."
Teamer has gotten plenty of well-deserved attention off the court. She was named ACC rookie of the week this week, marking the fourth time this season she has won the honor.
Last night, Teamer proved that she can carry the Cavaliers when they need her the most. More importantly, the Cavaliers showed her that they will follow her example when she takes on a leadership role. That should boost the confidence of the Cavaliers and give them a model to follow so that Virginia continues to become more successful. In addition, it will help younger players and next year's freshmen realize the value of making an impact at an early stage in their careers.
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