In a competitive game from start to finish, Virginia women’s basketball fell short in the closing minutes against Kentucky as the ranked Wildcats (4-0, 0-0 SEC) came away with a 50-47 win. Despite offensive struggles, the Cavaliers (2-2, 0-0 ACC) were relentless on defense, consistently applying pressure and forcing turnovers.
Virginia began the game with a slow offensive start while establishing a physical presence on defense. By the end of the first quarter, Kentucky only held a slight three point lead. With 8:16 left in the second quarter, Kentucky took their biggest lead of the first half with a score of 19-14. Two and a half minutes later, the Cavaliers tied it up at 19-19 with a three-pointer from freshman guard Kylie Kornegay-Lucas.
Up until halftime, Virginia continued to force turnovers on the defensive end and take advantage of Kentucky’s mistakes. With just 1:54 remaining in the first half, a steal by Kornegay-Lucas created the opportunity for senior guard Jocelyn Willoughby to draw a shooting foul that led to two made free throws. The Cavaliers would go into the second half with a 23-22 lead.
The third quarter kicked off with a Willougby layup but the momentum quickly shifted in favor of the Wildcats. By the five minute mark, Kentucky had used a 10-0 run to gain a 32-25 advantage — Kentucky’s biggest lead of the game. The Cavaliers struggled to respond and gave up three offensive possessions with charging fouls to end the third quarter down 34-30.
The tides began to change in the fourth quarter as senior guard Dominique Toussaint hit two mid-range jumpers to put Virginia within three with less than six minutes left in the game. The Cavaliers kept pushing the Wildcats in the final minutes as five straight points from Willoughby cut Kentucky’s lead to one point with 44 seconds to go.
However, in the final 30 seconds of the game, Virginia failed to make an offensive play as Kentucky outlasted the Cavaliers.
Virginia struggled offensively, finishing with a field goal shooting average of 31 percent and shooting just 23 percent from three. Multiple fouls on key offensive plays added to the team’s setbacks.
Individually, Willoughby led the way for the Cavaliers with a statline of 18 points, 11 rebounds and four steals. A breakout performance from Kornegay-Lucas provided the Cavaliers with crucial production off the bench. The freshman tallied eight points, five rebounds and three steals.
On defense, Virginia held Kentucky to 29.8 percent shooting from the field and totaled 13 steals to Kentucky’s seven, in addition to five blocks.
“Defense is what we do,” Coach Tina Thompson said. “It is part of the identity of who we are and that it’s going to keep us in games. One thing we can always control is how we defend.”
For Virginia, this game made a statement in terms of the team’s ability to perform against elite opponents.
“I think it shows everybody that we can hang with anybody,” Toussaint said. “We came into this game and people were doubting us on how we were going to keep up with Kentucky. I think the number one thing to take away from this was our effort, as well as making sure we are consistent and cleaning everything up on the offensive side.”
Up next, the Cavaliers travel to Connecticut to face the No. 4 Huskies Tuesday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
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