North Carolina Rallies in 4th Quarter, Hands Virginia Women’s Basketball First Home Loss

Dealing with a 3rd ranked opponent in a row, it appeared just like the Virginia ladies’s basketball workforce was on its solution to knocking off No. 22 North Carolina, because the Cavaliers outscored the Tar Heels 24-12 within the third quarter to seize a nine-point lead coming into the ultimate body. Nonetheless, the workforce couldn’t deal with the basketball within the fourth quarter, permitting the Heels to run away with the sport in a brutal sequence that led to a 28-8 fourth quarter.

The primary three quarters featured many shiny spots, however the sloppy remaining interval left a foul style within the mouth of Cavalier gamers, coaches, and followers. In the long run, North Carolina escaped with a 70-59 win over Virginia on Thursday evening at John Paul Jones Area. 

Early within the sport, Taylor Valladay was a catalyst for the Cavaliers, orchestrating a private 8-0 run to offer her workforce a 10-4 lead, and scoring ten-straight factors for Virginia. She was an ideal 4/4 from the sphere and a pair of/2 from three, whereas the remainder of her workforce was simply 1/12. Valladay additionally added three rebounds in simply 5 minutes of courtroom time within the opening interval.

Deja Kelly made a three-pointer to convey UNC inside one level, however Alexia Smith drained a easy pull up jumper within the remaining seconds of the quarter to offer Virginia a 15-12 lead on the finish of the primary quarter. Smith began rather than Mir McLean, who suffered a season-ending knee harm towards NC State on Sunday. Though the Cavaliers had been with out their greatest rebounder in McLean, they are going to gained the rebounding battle 48-37, collected 16 offensive rebounds, and scored 14 second likelihood factors. 

The Tar Heels held the Cavaliers scoreless for the primary three minutes of the second quarter, however then Sam Brunelle checked into the sport and promptly drilled a three-pointer. With 5 minutes remaining within the second quarter, Deja Kelly made a three-pointer within the nook via contact to offer UNC a 21-20 lead, however then missed the free throw.

Brunelle added a second triple to her tally, however UNC put collectively a 7-2 rally to take a 28-26 lead. On the finish of the primary half, the Tar Heels led 30-27 after outscoring UVA 18-12 within the second interval. Sam Brunelle had six factors and three rebounds to tempo her workforce.

After the primary half, UVA was 4/16 (25%) from past the arc. Of Virginia’s 31 complete pictures, over half of the pictures got here from deep, as Taylor Valladay was the one Cavalier persistently driving into the paint. With out Mir McLean, and with the Tar Heels walling up inside with 4 blocks, there was a noticeable lack of offensive presence down low.

Within the third quarter, the Hoos jumped out to a 7-0 run to take a 34-30 lead. Sam Brunelle was 2/2 from past the arc within the early minutes, and Camryn Taylor had 5 factors to propel Virginia. UNC made a 3 pointer to halt a 15-4 Cavalier run, so midway via the quarter, UVA led 42-37.

London Clarkson and Alexia Smith made free throws within the third quarter as Virginia continued to get to the road. After taking pictures 5/10 (50%) from the road within the first half, the workforce was 5/6 within the third quarter alone. Carole Miller added a 3 pointer with lower than a minute remaining to cap one other 7-0 Cavalier run. On the finish of the third quarter, UVA led 51-42.

The third quarter has been extraordinarily fruitful for Virginia all season and that pattern continued on this sport because the Cavaliers outscored the Tar Heels 24-12 within the third quarter to show a halftime deficit right into a nine-point lead.

UNC and UVA traded factors early within the fourth quarter, with the Tar Heels making quick pictures and a few free throws, and Sam Brunelle and Carole Miller making threes. With six minutes remaining, the Cavaliers held a seven-point lead. 

Impulsively, UNC made a three-pointer to make the UVA lead simply 57-55, forcing Coach Mox to name a timeout. Only one minute later, Coach Mox burned one other timeout after UNC made two straightforward layups to take a 59-57 lead. This stretch made up an 11-0 run for the Tar Heels, erasing all the onerous work the Cavaliers did within the third quarter to construct a lead.

UNC switched into 1-2-2 half courtroom press that that ruined any offensive momentum the Cavaliers had. A Camryn Taylor layup was the one time the Hoos may break it, and UNC continued to overwhelm UVA to the tune of a 22-2 run. In the long run, UNC outscored UVA 28-8 within the fourth quarter to earn the 70-59 win.

In a sport that regarded just like the Hoos would win for many of it, turnovers destroyed Virginia’s hopes of successful. The workforce had eight turnovers within the fourth quarter alone, resulting in 12 Tar Heel factors. The UNC protection was suffocating, because the Tar Heels swarmed over the Cavalier ball-handlers with out selecting up a single foul within the fourth quarter. Virginia was whistled for twenty-four fouls as in comparison with 15 for North Carolina and the Tar Heels shot 26 free throws to only 16 for the Cavaliers. It felt just like the wind was knocked out of the Wahoos within the remaining six minutes of the sport. 

Taylor Valladay had 16 factors and 5 rebounds earlier than fouling out and Sam Brunelle had 15 factors on 5 three-pointers and 9 rebounds, simply lacking a double double. For UNC, Deja Kelly and Kennedy Todd-Williams each had 21 factors, and Alyssa Utsby had 15.

Virginia falls to 13-4 total and 2-4 within the ACC after a third-consecutive loss to a ranked workforce. The Cavaliers will look to proper the ship towards Boston Faculty on Sunday afternoon at John Paul Jones Area. 

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