Survive and advance.
The Virginia women’s basketball team managed to do just that in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday, edging Marist 68-61 in Los Angeles. With the victory against the 12th-seeded Red Foxes, the Cavaliers (24-9) earned a second round date with fourth-seeded California.
Perhaps a little rusty because of the more than two-week break since its last game, Virginia struggled to find an offensive rhythm out of the gate. Shooting a lackluster 30.3 percent from the field during the first half, the Cavaliers were forced to rely on their defense early to stay with what junior guard Monica Wright called a “scrappy” Marist squad. The Red Foxes (29-4) only converted 36 percent of their field goals in the first half, but they nevertheless entered the break with a five-point lead against the Cavaliers.
“Once our shots stopped falling, we started taking bad shots,” Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said. “Once you start taking bad shots — even if you’re playing good defense — it puts you in a hole.”
Although Virginia ran a balanced offense in the first half with four players scoring four or more points, foul troubles arose. Wright was limited to just 11 minutes of action in the opening period after being whistled for two fouls in one minute. Meanwhile, sophomore forward Kelly Hartig was charged with two fouls in less than a minute of play, forcing the starter to miss the remainder of the half.
Freshman forward Chelsea Shine filled the void that Hartig left, leading the team’s first-half scoring column with five points, but the squad struggled to find an answer for Marist junior forward Rachele Fitz inside. The two-time MAAC Player of the Year scored 13 of her 17 points during the first half and snatched eight rebounds.
“[Fitz] got great position,” Cavalier senior forward Lyndra Littles said. “She was physical. I think she is a very intelligent player; she plays angles great. She never stopped moving inside the paint and she played a great game.”
At the half, Ryan made several crucial adjustments to the Virginia game plan. The coach had senior center Aisha Mohammed guard Fitz in the paint and encouraged a more fast-paced offensive attack. Both tweaks seemed to have their desired effect, as Virginia held Marist scoreless for the first four minutes of the period and took the lead after a 9-0 run.
With Mohammed draped around her, Fitz rarely touched the ball and shot just 2-for-6 from the field in the second half. The Virginia offense, meanwhile, saw its shooting improve to 44.8 percent from the field against the Red Foxes’ zone defense.
“I felt like if we were to get ourselves in a little faster pace and play a little harder on the offensive end that we would definitely have a better chance,” Ryan said. “We were able to break open a little bit and get some fast break points. Once we loosened up, we started to hit shots. We started to hit threes and everything else.”
After going 0-for-6 from beyond the arc in the first half, the Cavaliers made five of seven three-pointers in the second. Wright — scoreless during the opening period — went 3-for-5 from the three-point line. The Naismith Player of the Year finalist finished the game with 13 points, eight rebounds and two assists.
Impressive play from freshman guard Ariana Moorer helped keep the Cavaliers ahead. After senior Britnee Millner, the team’s regular starting point guard, was suspended for the game because of an unspecified violation of team rules, Ryan placed Moorer in charge of orchestrating the Virginia offense. The rookie responded by leading the team’s scoring column with 16 points and dishing out a team-high four assists. She also made several critical free throws to stifle any last-minute Red Fox comeback hopes.
“I thought [Moorer] stayed within herself,” Ryan said. “She was able to find people out there, assist people, do a very good job from the free throw line down the stretch. I thought she did a great job stepping in and playing that many minutes because I really played her probably more minutes than she’s ever played in one game.”
Although it remains unclear whether Millner will participate in tonight’s matchup against California, Ryan seemed confident in Moorer’s ability to control the team’s offense in the second round.
“I don’t think [Millner’s absence] hurt [the game] at all actually,” Ryan said. “It was [Millner’s] decision for me to sit her, let me put it that way. [Her status] is still to be decided.”
The Golden Bears (26-6) will enter tonight’s game more rested than the Cavaliers after cruising past No. 13-seed Fresno State 70-47 in an early tipoff Saturday. Senior forward Ashley Walker led the California effort with 21 points, and all 11 players saw playing time against the Bulldogs.
Starting an undersized lineup compared to Virginia, the Golden Bears boast an up-tempo offense and strong outside shooting, averaging about 15 attempts per game from beyond the arc. California, playing closer to home, will be a fan favorite, but the underdog Cavaliers enter the contest confident after shaking off the Red Foxes.
“I think if we play just as good of defense as we did tonight — minus the three-point defense — and we get into a little rhythm on the offensive end, we’ll be in pretty good shape,” Littles said.
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