Tuesday afternoon, the Virginia women’s basketball team (13-6, 3-2 ACC) wrapped up practice inside the auxiliary gym at John Paul Jones Arena. Cavalier pairs shot free throws at each basket before coach Joanne Boyle huddled everybody up at center court. Ahead of Thursday night’s game at No. 14 Florida State, she demanded all of her players be ready to step up.
In Tallahassee, the Cavaliers will again be without senior guard Faith Randolph, who fractured her thumb Jan. 7 against Notre Dame. Virginia had struggled to score since her injury – managing only 52 points in a win over Wake Forest and 41 in a loss to Louisville – until their most recent contest, a 78-67 win Jan. 17 at Georgia Tech.
“I thought the ball really stuck in our hands when we were scoring in the 40s and the 50s,” Boyle said. “I felt like there was really poor ball movement, so in practice we really tried to emphasize just getting the ball out of hands and not letting it stick.”
Spreading out the Yellow Jacket zone with unselfish play, Virginia created quality looks for its two guards, sophomore Mikayla Venson and junior Breyana Mason. The two continue to provide the bulk of the Cavalier offense in Randolph’s absence. Venson led the way with 23 points on 9-15 shooting, while Mason added 21 on 10-14.
“Her [Faith’s] absence definitely leaves a void, but there are plenty of people who can fill that in,” Mason said. “Once we got going, ‘Mik’ and I kind of fed off of each other a little bit. Other people were able to find me.”
If Virginia continues to share the basketball Thursday, Venson, Mason and their teammates should have open looks on the perimeter and at the high post, as the lengthy, active Seminoles (14-4, 4-1) like a 2-3 zone that prioritizes preventing dribble penetration. With this in mind, the Cavaliers devoted time this week to form shooting.
“You’ve just got to get in the gym and get shots up, which we’ll do even more tomorrow,” Boyle said. “…I think we struggled the games before with Louisville and Notre Dame. They were teams that were playing us mostly man. If you give us daylight on threes, surely we can hit a few.”
Virginia cannot expect many second-chance opportunities on the offensive end Thursday night. Florida State is perhaps the most dominant rebounding team in all of college basketball. Behind senior center Adut Bulgak, who averages 8.3 boards per game, the Seminoles have outrebounded opponents 42.1 to 27.1 this season.
Florida State posts will collect the majority of Cavalier misses and outlet to speedy guards on the break.
“We have to minimize, so we might send three to the [offensive] glass and two back,” Boyle said. “We want them to have to take some time off the clock and work through their offense. Now if we are scoring, great, we’ll get our defense set.”
Bulgak does more than rebound for Florida State. The 6’4” Edmonton, Canada native is a versatile scorer in transition and in the half court, averaging 14.7 points per game. Bulgak has shot over 43 percent from three and 48 percent inside the arc. Coach Boyle labels her a matchup nightmare.
“We are definitely going to be playing some [2-3] zone against them,” Boyle said. “But again, [Bulgak] can shoot three, so we have got to be able to take the three away from her. The biggest thing for all of them is to keep them off the boards. They are going to hit shots, but will they get second and third chances. That is the key.”
Sophomore forward Lauren Moses, who perfected her footwork and finishing in the low block well after Tuesday’s practice had ended, averages 7.6 rebounds per game to lead Virginia. Coach Boyle will depend on her sophomore forward to limit Seminole put backs, in addition to scoring in the post.
“Just making sure that we get on the boards,” Moses said. “Especially because they are a really good offensive rebounding team. Making sure we put a body on them every time down the floor, and you know just getting those rebounds is going to help us play in transition.”
The Cavaliers spent their final hours in frigid Charlottesville watching film and finalizing their game plan. A huge road victory Thursday night could be the difference between a March Madness bid, an NIT appearance or a shortened season. Virginia wants to dance.
“I look forward to it,” Mason said. “I love playing on the road. It will be a good challenge for us. Hopefully, we can get a win against a top-25 team and keep building our NCAA resume.”
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
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