Virginia beat Bucknell 84-60 Tuesday night at John Paul Jones Arena to start off the season. The Cavaliers (1-0, 0-0 ACC) were led by senior guard Jocelyn Willoughby’s dominant scoring output and all-around team defense as Bucknell (0-1, 0-0 Patriot League) could not match Virginia’s hot shooting.
Virginia’s offensive efficiency was the highlight of the night. As a team, the Cavaliers shot 54.9 percent from the field and 54.5 percent on three pointers. Bucknell was held to 39.6 percent and 30.4 percent, respectively. Willoughby sparked the offensive effort for Virginia, hitting on all three of her three-pointers en route to a career-high 31 points and 11 rebounds.
Willoughby — who received numerous preseason accolades — showed just how important she will be to this year’s team. The East Orange, N.J. native’s hustle on defense and aggression on offense gave Bucknell all it could handle.
Virginia came into this season with questions about its frontcourt size, but Tuesday’s outing should be reassuring. The Cavaliers picked up 10 offensive rebounds and 38 in total, while the Bison were held to just 19 total rebounds.
While the score reflected complete dominance, Virginia’s performance was not without flaws. The Cavaliers had 15 turnovers, showing some early season rust. Still, Virginia’s 20 assists on the night show the good ball movement that allowed the Cavaliers to have a strong offensive outing.
Up next, the Cavaliers travel to Los Angeles, Calif. Saturday to face Southern California. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. from the Galen Center.
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