TheVirginia women's basketball team will look to get over the .500 mark when they play host to Maryland tonight. The Cavaliers, 10-10 overall and 4-5 in the ACC, will also want to avenge a 69-55 loss to Maryland suffered Jan. 4. Virginia has not been swept in a season series by the Terrapins since the 1988-89 season. This year, Maryland boasts a 13-7 overall record and a 5-4 standing in the conference.
The game could have major ramifications for the ACC standings because both teams are in the middle of the pack and could use a conference win to propel themselves upward in the rankings. Maryland is currently tied for third place with Clemson and Virginia trails those two teams by only one game. The Cavaliers have played competitively in the ACC, with seven conference games decided by 10 points or less.
Virginia is coming off a dramatic 62-61 win over Georgia Tech on Sunday. In that game, Virginia got three solid scoring performances from juniors LaTonya Blue and Brandi Teamer and senior Anna Prillaman. Blue led the team with 16 points, while Prillaman and Teamer both added 15. Blue also made the game winning shot with 14.9 seconds left in regulation.
"We came out in the second half and were able to erase the lead and then step up again and win," coach Debbie Ryan said. "That takes a lot of character on our team's part. It's hard to do, but we've been in that position a lot of times and we know how to do it."
The trio of Blue, Teamer and Prillaman have paced the Virginia offense this season. Teamer has lead the way with 11.8 points per game, Blue has added 9.4 points per game and Prillaman regularly contributes 9.3 points per game.
Maryland will counter Virginia with the freshman scoring duo of Shay Doran, who leads the Terrapins with 13.2 points per game and Kalika France, who scores 11.5 points per game. Senior Delvona Oliver has played well for the Terrapins as of late, scoring at least 17 points in four of Maryland's past five games.
Virginia struggled in the first half of the Jan. 4 game. The Terrapins held the Cavaliers to only 12 first half points and a first half shooting percentage of 16.7 percent. At one point in the game, Maryland led by 28 points, 43-15. In the loss, Teamer was the only Cavalier to score in double figures.
The contest tonight may prove to be closer than the teams' previous match-up, as Maryland has gone 1-3 over its past four games, while Virginia has been 2-2 during the same stretch. Also, the Terrapins and the Cavaliers are allowing only 64.2 and 63.6 points per game, respectively. If this game turns out to be a close contest, Blue said she expects Virginia to succeed.
"I think we know what it takes to win because we've been in that position so many times," she said.
Virginia will also look to take advantage of the three-point shot. The Cavaliers are shooting .300 from behind the arc on the season.
"We're a good 3-point shooting team and we really encourage our kids to shoot the three," Ryan said. "You don't want them thinking about it, you just want them to shoot it."
Although Virginia is 1-3 in home ACC contests, they will hope to benefit tonight from the experience gained from hosting No. 2 Duke and No. 13 North Carolina over the past month.
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