Eventually, every song must stop and every dance must come to an end.
Unfortunately for the Virginia women’s basketball team, the fun came to a halt all too early, as a dominant California team ousted the Cavaliers 99-73 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last night. The loss marks the second straight year in which Virginia coach Debbie Ryan’s squad failed to advance to the Sweet Sixteen and leaves the Hall of Fame coach one win shy of 700 as the Cavaliers’ season came to a close in Los Angeles.
“There was really no excuse,” Ryan said. “They really just beat us in every aspect of the game, and I am just really disappointed with our performance.”
From the opening tipoff, it became apparent that a fast-paced game would not intimidate either the Cavaliers or the Golden Bears. During a first half that could have passed for a track meet instead of a basketball game, the two teams combined for 76 shots. The first two minutes of play alone saw the squads make eight trips up and down the court.
Although both teams’ up-tempo offenses worked to penetrate inside early, the Virginia offensive attack was severely hampered when senior center Aisha Mohammed was whistled for her second foul only three minutes into the game. Just as during the Cavaliers’ opening round squeaker against Marist, foul trouble hampered Virginia’s ability to defend inside. The home state favorites continually pushed the ball down low and exploited a weakened Virginia defense.
Even though the Cavaliers were only down two points when Mohammed was forced to sit, the squad found itself trailing 34-22 when the senior reentered with 5:28 remaining in the half. Mohammed immediately made her presence felt by scoring on a lay-up, but the Golden Bears had asserted themselves already. Senior forward Ashley Walker notched 20 of her career-high 32 points in the first half, and she and senior center Devanei Hampton together combined for 34 of California’s 53 opening half points.
“Hampton and Walker were so big inside and they were really on tonight,” Ryan said. “Let’s face it, I have seen a lot of film on them and this was by far one of the best games they’ve played.”
Bolstered by Hampton and Walker, the Golden Bears picked up where they left off against Fresno State in the first round, during which the Golden Bears did not once relinquish the lead. California entered the break leading the Cavaliers 53-35, appearing to be in control of the game.
“I felt like they came out swinging, and we were taking punches and not swinging back,” Ryan said. “I also felt like their high-low game was really good to start with tonight, and we really had no answer for it.”
The Cavaliers proved they were not yet ready to go home, however, as the No. 5-seed in the Trenton Region came out of the locker room and put together an inspired run to cut the lead to 11 with 12:45 to play. But the Golden Bears switched to a zone defense to prevent a Cavalier comeback, and fouls became an issue once again, as junior guard Monica Wright was called for her fourth personal foul with 11:43 remaining. Wright, who was responsible for 14 of the Cavaliers’ opening 22 points in the second half, would not return until three minutes later and eventually fouled out with 2:23 to play.
The national player of the year candidate nevertheless finished with 26 points on 12-for-24 shooting from the field to lead the Cavalier scoring column. Senior forward Lyndra Littles closed out her Virginia career by notching 13 points and six rebounds, while Mohammed added 10 points and eight boards to the effort.
“Cal is definitely a great team, but we thought we matched up well with them,” Wright said. “I know we are all just disappointed in how we let the seniors end their season. They have been awesome and terrific all season, and it’s sad to end like this.”
With the win, the Golden Bears advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history. They now await the winner of tomorrow night’s matchup between tournament top-seed Connecticut and Florida.
“We are just a different team right now,” California guard Alexis Gray-Lawson said. “We just don’t want to go home — that is pretty much it.”
Read More
Virginia softball closes out regular season with series victory over Georgia Tech
By Eleanor Lynch | 1 hours agoThe team’s overall 65.3 percent win record this year is the highest it’s been since the 2003-04 season, and there is still time for it to continue to rise from there.
In an arduous series, Virginia baseball triumphs in Boston
By Katie Costin | 1 hours agoThe Cavaliers picked up another series win, but will need to find consistency as they approach postseason play.
Virginia Athletics wins second straight Commonwealth Clash over Virginia Tech
By Eleanor Lynch | YesterdayThe Cavaliers’ fifth Commonwealth Clash victory over the last eight contests proves the athletic department’s overall success in recent years.
