WINSTON-SALEM -- The Cavaliers stole a road win from Wake Forest Sunday, squeaking by the Demon Deacons, 62-61.
After being dominated by their opponents almost the entire game, Virginia came back to capture and hold on to the lead in the final 13 seconds of the contest. Junior forward LaTonya Blue sunk two jumpers in the final 33 seconds, putting her team ahead of the Deacons for only the first time since it led 4-3 early in the first half.
The complete reversal down the stretch silenced the scanty crowd at Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem and ripped a win out of the hands of a team that has been on an ACC roll. Last Monday, Wake Forest nudged past No. 10 North Carolina, a feat the Cavaliers were unable to duplicate on Thursday. The same night Virginia was suffering that devastating loss to the Tar Heels, Wake was outlasting Georgia Tech in overtime.
Given the two teams' almost identical records going into the game (U. Va. 9-10, 3-5 ACC; Wake 10-9, 3-5 ACC), it was bound to be a close one. Wake Forest took the court against Virginia with the same intensity as it had against UNC and Georgia Tech. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, looked either tired or demoralized at the start and throughout much of the game. Despite sudden bursts of energy, it was clear that Virginia was not giving Wake the same challenge they had given the Tar Heels.
"What I'm proud of is that we weren't on our game today," Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said. "But, we were able to erase the lead, step up our game and win."
One of the big changes after the break was the focus on rebounding, which is typically one of Virginia's strengths. After bringing down only four first-half rebounds, the Cavaliers more than doubled that number in the second half, snagging 10 boards. Wake Forest, on the other hand, had only five offensive rebounds the entire game.
Also, some of Virginia's key players stepped up in the second half.
"Anna Prillaman had an abysmal first half and then came back to just nail it," Ryan said.
Prillaman, a senior guard, played a major role in Virginia's runs in the second half. After scoring six points without a rebound in the first half, she came back in the second to score 11 points and make four key defensive rebounds.
Blue, the game's hero in the final seconds, was in an important factor throughout the second half. She came out of the break ready to play, scoring 12 points and grabbing five rebounds.
Ryan credited senior forward Anna Crosswhite with giving the team a boost in the second half and controlling the Deacon's dangerous sophomore forward Liz Strunk.
"Anna's the kind of player that is a pain in the neck to play against," Ryan said. "So that's why we put her out their to control Strunk."
Virginia's changes in the second half proved fruitful, and the Cavaliers look to continue that success next Thursday against Maryland. Virginia will face the Terrapins at home at 7:00 p.m.
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