The general theme for the Cavalier women's basketball team before last night's contest against Georgia Tech was that they needed to recover their late-game execution in order to win close games.
Adjusting to the graduation of high-scoring guard Telisha Quarles has been challenging for the Virginia backcourt this season. Three of Virginia's last four losses had been decided by just a point, and they needed a floor leader to close each game.
Luckily, the Cavaliers did not have to worry about the flow of offense in the waning moments of last night's game. It was nice to have a little "Blue" ray of light guiding the way.
As floor leader for the Cavaliers, Latanya Blue seized her opportunity to step up and quickly brought the rest of the backcourt with her.
With the absence of sophomore center Lynette O'Reggio, Virginia's post players had to put in extra effort defending a Georgia Tech team that likes to run. Both defenses played aggressively in the first half, and the Yellow Jackets continued to apply their defensive press to limit the space Blue had to maneuver.
After an early drought where Georgia Tech jumped out to an 11-6 lead, Blue began to look for her own shot. She was on target in the first half, 5-6 from the floor and ready to make a run.
But a floor general cannot survive a tight press without strong support. It was senior guard Liz Sahin who next began to take off with perimeter shots of her own. Sahin did not disappoint in making both of her threes, and made a crucial pass that helped to trigger Virginia's 10-0 run at the end of the first half.
One could not expect the guards to rule the game, and it was only a matter of time before Brandi Teamer would find her shot that had been eluding her in the first half.
When Blue stepped out of the spotlight, Cherrise Graham was more than ready to give the Cavaliers another spark. Graham, who sat out the first half because of a suspension, used her speed and quick hands to prove she was capable of running the offense and penetrating. She totaled 11 points for the game, nine of which were on free throws.
Anna Prillaman followed Sahin's roll by connecting from downtown, and her first three-pointer gave them energy that inspired such inside players as Deidra Chatman and Jocelyn Logan-Friend to play more aggressively.
"It was obvious when Prillaman hit her first three, everyone got pretty excited," Georgia Tech coach Agnus Berenato said.
Prillaman summed up what the victory was all about for the Cavaliers.
"We knew that we were a good team, to lose three games by just one point," she said. "We knew that once we got this first [ACC] win, the sky's the limit."
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