Down seven with just a little over seven minutes left in the game, the Virginia Cavaliers dug down defensively and turned to senior guard LaTonya Blue on offense.
A rebound by freshman Takisha Granberry got the ball out to Blue with 7:15 left for the Cavaliers. Against two defenders, Blue used a quick cross-over to attack the basket from the right, hitting a soaring lay-up. A few possessions later, a pull-up three-pointer from the right wing with the shot clock dwindling tied the game up at 57. Three possessions later, Blue cut to the middle of a Maryland zone and hit a quick jumper from the lane, building the Cavaliers lead to 61-57. And as the game came down to the wire, it was, in her typical fashion, Blue who hit two free throws with 23.9 second left to seal the game for Virginia.
Blue finished with a "quiet" career-high 29 points as the Cavaliers (18-8, 7-5 ACC) won in a dog fight, upset victory, 63-61 over the No. 20 Terrapins (18-7, 7-5 ACC). The win pulled the Cavaliers even with Maryland for a fifth place tie in the ACC.
Speaking about Blue, Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said even she was amazed at the 29 points Blue accumulated.
"In the context of the offense, she was Johnny-on-the-spot all the time, every time we needed a bucket," Ryan said.
While Blue's performance on the offensive end certainly contributed to the Virginia win, the team's intense interior defense on Maryland's freshman center Chrystal Langhorne, who finished with twelve points and eleven rebounds, kept Virginia in the game.
Virginia senior forward Jocelyn Logan-Friend, who finished with a team-high four steals, anchored the post defense that brought Virginia back from deficits in each half.
"I think we are great defensive team all around when we decide that we are going to play great defense," Logan-Friend said. "When we got down, we made up our minds that we were going to play great defense and we got it done."
In a game that featured two of the top four rebounding teams in the ACC, Virginia was able to beat Maryland in terms of offensive rebounds. To that point, the Cavaliers finished with 21 second-chance points, as opposed to only 11 for the Terrapins.
The hustle and determination needed to grab offensive boards was a defining characteristic for the Cavaliers in their thrilling win.
Ryan continued to reiterate that the Cavaliers were playing for their NCAA lives and at home, in front of a boisterous crowd, Virginia delivered the necessary intensity.
"I was really proud of the way we battled back," Ryan said. "We kept attacking and played good defense. It really came to bear tonight that our defense was the difference in the game."
Up next for the Cavaliers is No. 8 North Carolina on Thursday in Chapel Hill, a team that beat Virginia by 20 in Charlottesville two weeks ago. But recent events for the Cavaliers have increased Virginia's confidence.
"Since that game, we have had a lot of things happen," Ryan said. "I think this team has grown a lot and they are starting to step up now and realize what they have to do win."
Last night, a team effort led by Blue on offense and Logan-Friend defensively brought Virginia a close win against a Top-25 team.
And more importantly for the Cavaliers, it kept their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
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