Virginia women’s basketball saw its late double-digit lead slip away but held on to beat Middle Tennessee State 70-66 Friday night in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Blue Raider senior guard Brea Edwards, who finished with a career high 30 points on 16 shots, drained a three with 2:34 remaining to cut the Cavalier lead to a single point. When it mattered most, a composed Virginia five responded with a score and a stop.
Junior guard Faith Randolph secured her own rebound and dished to sophomore forward Lauren Moses, who laid the ball off the glass for two.
On the other end, sophomore guard Aliyah Huland El came up with a huge steal, but a careless Cavalier advance gave the basketball right back to Middle Tennessee.
Fortunately, Moses forced another Blue Raider turnover that eventually led to two Virginia free throws. A 75 percent shooter from the line last season, Huland El drained both attempts to make it a two-possession game.
Sophomore guard Mikayla Venson kept the Cavalier lead intact, making three of four shots from the charity stripe over the final minute. Virginia went on to win its 2015-16 season opener in what proved to be far from a rollover game.
Middle Tennessee is no slouch — the Blue Raiders advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2015 National Invitation Tournament and should contend for the Conference USA title this season.
The Blue Raiders also benefited from home-court advantage. The Murphy Center ranked No. 22 in overall attendance last year ahead of several high-major arenas. A crowd of over 5,500 cheered against the Cavaliers and filtered out discouraged Friday.
Virginia’s depth was the difference. Eight Cavalier players spent more than 16 minutes on the court. Five scored in double figures, including Moses, who led with 13 points, Venson (10), Huland El (10), junior guard Breyana Mason (11) and redshirt sophomore guard J’Kyra Brown (10).
The Cavaliers will return to action Monday night against Norfolk State for a home opener at John Paul Jones Arena.
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