On her 20th birthday, sophomore forward Chelsea Shine reaped the rewards of her hard work, as No. 12 Virginia crushed previously unbeaten USC Upstate, 110-63, at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers will face a much stiffer test Sunday when No. 6 Tennessee comes to town, but last night, the Cavaliers lived in the moment.
"We could have overlooked this team and thought about Tennessee," Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said. "But I'm glad we didn't."
The Cavaliers were especially dominant during the second half, scoring more than double the Spartans' points, despite playing Shine and senior guard Monica Wright for only 10 minutes apiece. The Spartans could not stop Shine and freshman center Simone Egwu inside, as the two combined for 29 points and 10 rebounds in the half.
"There was definitely a height difference you could see with this team," Shine said. "They were about half our size."
Shine was dominant down low, finishing with a career-high 27 points on 10-13 shooting, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots. Intimidated by Virginia's size and strength inside, the Spartans opted to take 34 three-point attempts instead of pounding the paint.
"I knew that I was on, I guess," Shine said. "I just played."
Shine "really decided that she wanted to be a leader on this team," Ryan said. "She really wants to be the person to step up and help Monica."
The Cavaliers got off to a quick start, opening up a 25-10 lead with aggressive play on defense and high-percentage shots on offense. But when Wright and Shine came out of the game, they started to get sloppy.
A shot clock violation that featured two airballs put a damper on Virginia's momentum. The team began forcing shots on offense and giving second chances on defense, allowing USC Upstate to creep back into the game and cut the deficit to only 29-21.
"I wasn't real happy with the defensive play in the first half after we substituted," Ryan said.
The eight-point gap, however, was the closest the Spartans would get. Wright's return to the floor sparked a 9-0 run that stretched the Cavaliers' advantage to 38-21. That margin would remain mostly unchanged through the rest of the first half, and the Cavaliers took a 54-38 lead going into the locker room.
"Defensively, we needed to get ourselves in the zone," Shine said.
The Spartans helped Virginia in this regard with poor shooting. Because they lacked size, the Spartans attacked the basket primarily from the perimeter, shooting only 8-for-34 from behind the arc. Overall, USC Upstate shot less than 30 percent from the field.
In stark contrast, the Cavaliers' next opponent, Tennessee, is expected to present a significantly more difficult challenge.
"We're a lot smaller than they are," Ryan said. "That's what we're going to see Sunday - a lot of threes and a good inside game."
If Shine and Egwu can replicate their performances Sunday and Wright can continue dominating the court, the Cavaliers may have a shot to upset the higher-ranked Lady Vols. On Tennessee's home court last season, Virginia beat the then-No. 5 squad, 83-82.
"I know you're not supposed to look ahead to games, but I've had this one on lockdown," Shine said. "This time, I think that it might be a little bit harder because last year they were a young team. But at the same time, we're a different team as well"
Read More
Leo Afonso is ascending the ranks of club soccer — and he is not done yet
By Ben Istvan | 15 hours agoVirginia's former talisman recently made waves in professional soccer with a dreamlike 17-day stretch.
Virginia softball fumbles last home game of the season to Virginia Tech
By Eleanor Lynch | YesterdayThe Hokies shut out the Cavaliers, who continue to show immense struggles at the plate.
Hoos in the NBA Playoffs
By Oliver Blair | YesterdayThe NBA Playoffs are tipping off imminently, and many of Virginia’s former heroes will be chasing the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
