The Virginia women's basketball team's season ended with an upset loss to Wisconsin-Green Bay by a final score of 69-67 Sunday evening. It was the last game of senior guard Monica Wright's collegiate career.
The No. 21 Cavaliers, a fifth seed in the NCAA Tournament, fell to the Phoenix despite what seemed like a thrilling late-game recovery that included a 6-0 run during the final 91 seconds of play. The Cavaliers missed four crucial free throws during these closing seconds, however, and were forced to foul Green Bay. Wright missed a desperation shot with 0.2 seconds to surrender during the first round of the tournament. Alongside a March 5 quarterfinal loss in the ACC Tournament to N.C. State, this marks the first season the Cavaliers have failed to win a postseason game since 2004 and the first time the Cavaliers have failed to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament since 2007.
Leading the game for the Cavaliers was Wright, who scored 34 points on 14-for-27 shooting. She also added a team-high nine rebounds and six steals. The ACC Player of the Year and All-American candidate was the only Cavalier to score in double figures, shooting shot 51.9 percent from the field, while her teammates combined for 27.5 percent.
The Cavaliers scored an early lead but fell behind when Green Bay junior guard Kayla Tetschlag made two free throws with 5:18 remaining in the first half. Virginia would never reclaim the lead.\nVirginia's roster will likely remain intact apart from the loss of Wright, the only senior on the team.
The All-American teams, the Region Player of the Year, and the Wooden Award winner will be announced March 30. Wright is a candidate for each of these honors and will graduate the third leading scorer in ACC history.
-compiled by Dan Stalcup
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