In the first of two road games on the West Coast, Virginia lost to Southern California 59-49 Saturday at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. The Cavaliers (1-1, 0-0 ACC) struggled to find their rhythm on offense as only two players recorded double-digit point totals — senior forward Lisa Jablonowski with 13 and senior guard Jocelyn Willoughby with 10.
Virginia’s losing effort was not without flashes of promise and good basketball. Entering the third quarter, the Cavaliers only trailed by three with a score of 22-19.
Led by graduate guard Stephanie Watts, the Trojans (2-0, 0-0 PAC-12) built a 10-point lead with 7:04 left in the third quarter, but a couple of buckets from Jablonowski and Willoughby moved the Cavaliers to within four of Southern California.
Virginia never recovered as the Trojans outscored the Cavaliers in the final two quarters to finish with a 10-point win.
While Virginia’s resilience kept them in the game, the team struggled to score. The Cavaliers shot 26 percent from the field and 6.7 percent from beyond the arc. Along with only making 19 field goals, including just one three-pointer, Virginia shot 58.8 percent from the free-throw line.
The low shooting percentages from Virginia’s standout guards — Willoughby and redshirt freshman Amandine Toi — severely limited the team’s offensive output. The Cavaliers found new scoring potential in freshman guard Carole Miller, who had nine points, and were comforted by the return of senior guard Dominique Toussaint, who added seven points.
While Virginia struggled, the Cavaliers out-rebounded USC by three, and Jablonowski’s 13 points and nine rebounds elevated the team’s performance. She also limited USC’s breakout freshman forward Alissa Pili to 8 points and three rebounds.
Virginia looks to bounce back Tuesday at 7 p.m. when the Cavaliers head to California State Northridge.
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