Coming off a compelling win on the road against Clemson, the No. 18 Virginia women’s basketball team will face Maryland tonight at John Paul Jones Arena.
Virginia (16-4, 3-2 ACC) looks to stop a high-powered offense that has out-scored opponents by a total of 240 points, averaging 77.3 points per game this season. Having only lost to one ACC rival thus far, Maryland (16-3, 4-1 ACC) stands tall at No. 8, with its only conference loss coming at Duke.
Maryland coach Brenda Frese will rely heavily on senior point guard Kristi Toliver, a second-team All-American last year who leads the Terps with 17.4 points and 5.4 assists per game, to penetrate the Cavalier defense. Senior forward Marissa Coleman has also progressed as a threat, putting up 14.7 points per contest. Virginia will also seek to contain junior forward Demauria Liles on the glass, who leads the team and is third in the conference in rebounding with 9.2 per game. Overall, Maryland has one of the more balanced teams in the country, as four players average double-figures scoring.
“[Maryland is] a good team, but we’re a good team also,” senior guard Britnee Millner said, “We’re going to focus mainly on ourselves to make sure we do what we need to do in order to win. We definitely are [making preparations], but we are mainly focusing on ourselves.”
In preparation, the Cavaliers look to weapons such as junior guard Monica Wright, who averages 22.0 points per game and also leads the team in steals.
Against Clemson, Virginia showed its versatility and depth. Senior forward Lyndra Littles was the Cavaliers’ high scorer with 22 points, while senior center Aisha Mohammed added 17 points and 11 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the year.
Virginia prepares to enter Friday’s game with both a positive mentality and eager spirit. The win earlier this season against defending national champion Tennessee on the road stands as the Cavaliers’ landmark road win thus far; after dropping its last home game to Florida State, the Cavaliers look to make a similar statement at home against the higher-ranked Terrapins. A win would also give Virginia coach Debbie Ryan her 692nd career victory and would improve Virginia’s all-time record against Maryland to 41-29.
“It’s been interesting but you have to win your home games.” Ryan said, “My team knows that. You can’t play in this league unless you can win at home.”
Though the Cavaliers are 10-1 at home, the team’s last home victory came Jan. 11 against Wake Forest. Maryland is 5-3 on the road in comparison. Although Maryland is ranked higher on most polls and standings, the statistics of these two ACC rivals are similar.
“The conference is very strong; each team can win on any given day,” Millner said. “On Friday, I think it will be a great game and a good challenge for both teams,”
The contest Friday might become a simple battle of wills.
“Just believe we can do it, and we’re going to do it,” senior guard Kristen London said.
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