Facing its first ranked opponent of the season, Virginia traveled to No. 15 Vanderbilt for the ACC/SEC Challenge Wednesday. Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton’s bunch fought admirably — only trailing by four points at halftime — but the Cavaliers (6-3, 0-0 ACC) struggled to avoid fouls. Virginia fell 81-68.
In particular, sophomore guard Mikayla Blakes torched the Cavaliers with 28 points. Even more prevalent, though, was a discrepancy in free throws. Blakes took a whopping 13 free throw attempts, and made all but one.
The Commodores (9-0, 0-0 SEC) attempted more than double the total free throw attempts the Cavaliers took. That statistic is difficult to overcome, especially in a game that was decided by 13 points. However, Virginia’s offense writ large did not do enough to hand Vanderbilt its first loss of the year.
Sunday, Virginia cruised past UMES with a balanced offensive attack. Against the Commodores, though, the offense was kept afloat almost exclusively by junior guard Kymora Johnson.
Johnson and her Cavaliers charged ahead to a 19-18 lead after the first quarter, but they were unable to claw back after Vanderbilt’s offense snuck ahead in the second frame. Virginia needed more from its supporting cast but found little scoring aside from senior guard Paris Clark and her 12 points.
Co-star forwards graduate guard Romi Levy and senior Tabitha Amanze — who, combined, average 17.7 points per game — combined for seven points in 40 minutes of action Wednesday.
But while that talented duo struggled, sophomore forward Adeang Ring matched a season-best 10 points while making 80 percent of her shot attempts. Ring provided valuable defense as well, and she recorded a plus-minus score of 15 — helping the Cavaliers keep pace.
Another highlight came from graduate forward Caitlin Weimar, who became the only active player in Division I basketball with at least 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career.
The Commodores led by as many as 28 points with eight minutes left to play — a deficit far too large to overcome. Virginia fought back vigorously but it was too late. The Cavaliers could not overcome sluggish middle quarters in which they scored just 22 points in 20 minutes of action.
Throughout the game, Virginia never surrendered, but a free throw discrepancy and off-nights from Levy and Amanze sunk the chance to steal a ranked win. Shooting 60 percent from the free throw line was also a detriment to their comeback hopes. The Cavaliers are now 1-7 in their previous eight games versus ranked opponents.
Next, Virginia opens ACC play with a trip to Boston College Sunday for a noon game against the Eagles. Boston College is currently 4-7 with six losses to mid-major opponents — Holy Cross, Harvard, Massachusetts, James Madison, Murray State and Quinnipiac. Three of those non-Power Four losses came at home. The Eagles are one of just five ACC teams to currently have a losing record.
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