Dealing with a high ten opponent on the highway for the second time in 4 days was all the time going to be a tricky problem for the Virginia ladies’s basketball group. What UVA did not anticipate was to lose twice on Sunday in Raleigh, because the Cavaliers misplaced their greatest participant Mir McLean to a severe knee damage throughout the third quarter and Virginia went on to endure a lopsided 87-62 loss to No. 10 NC State. 

The Wolfpack can flat out shoot. That was evident to Coach Mox and the Virginia ladies’s basketball group. The query was whether or not or not the stingy Cavalier protection might disrupt that sufficient for a aggressive sport. Ultimately, there was little doubt of the offensive firepower of the Wolfpack, who scored 87 factors, by far essentially the most Virginia has allowed this season.

After main the group with 18 factors on Thursday night time in opposition to Virginia Tech, Camryn Taylor wasted little time asserting her presence on this sport. She scored eight of Virginia’s first 12 factors, taking pictures 3/5 from the ground whereas the remainder of her group was 2/10. The Cavaliers trailed 14-12 after one other bucket from Taylor. 

Diamond Johnson paced the Wolfpack with seven first quarter factors. NC State was 9/17 (52.9%) from the sector in comparison with Virginia’s 6/20 (30%), however UVA pressured 4 Wolfpack turnovers to remain within the sport, trailing 20-15 on the finish of the primary quarter.

Within the first possession of the second quarter, NC State drained the primary three pointer for both group to take a 23-15 lead. Earlier than the sport, NC State led the ACC with a 36.8% three level share, whereas UVA led the ACC in three level protection, with its opponents taking pictures simply 24.7%. After beginning 0/6, NC State cashed in early in quarter two.

NC State elevated its result in 27-17, after which the 2 groups traded scoring runs. Virginia began with a 7-0 run till Jada Boyd drilled a nook three for the Wolfpack. Alexia Smith appeared good within the Virginia offense with buckets on back-to-back possessions.

The extra problematic run got here afterwards, the place NC State took a 30-26 lead and moved it to a 39-26 lead, with seven of the 9 factors coming from River Baldwin. Much like earlier than, the run ended with a 3 pointer, this one coming from Sam Brunelle.

After a steal and a layup on the buzzer, the Wolfpack led 41-30 going into intermission. The bench had 18 factors for NC State within the first half, and taking pictures 8/12 (66.7%) from the sector is hard to counter. Sam Brunelle scored six factors within the second quarter to attempt to maintain her group in it, however the Wolfpack jumped out to the double digit lead.

Mir McLean got here out within the third quarter and went 1/2 from the road, took a cost, bought an offensive rebound, after which completed with a layup. McLean has quick spurts the place she is unstoppable, and Virginia performs by her in these moments. With the occasions that transpired later within the sport, this is able to be more and more clear for Virginia.

NC State put collectively a 7-0 run to increase the group’s result in 48-33. A couple of minutes later, the rating was 55-37, because the Wolfpack continued to shoot extraordinarily effectively from the ground, whereas the Cavaliers struggled mightily.

A scary sight occurred with 4:18 to go within the third quarter, when Mir McLean went up for an offensive rebound and landed awkwardly, together with her knee taking the brunt of the affect. McLean was in excruciating ache and needed to be carted off of the court docket. Her Cavalier teammates had been visibly shaken, and needed to take the court docket trailing 56-41 and take a look at not to consider their injured teammate.

Taylor Valladay and Sam Brunelle stepped up large for his or her group, with 5 and three factors, respectively, within the emotional remainder of the quarter. UVA trailed 68-51 after three quarters, however managed to carry on on the finish of the quarter regardless of the emotional occasions earlier.

The Wolfpack as soon as once more had been astoundingly environment friendly, taking pictures 7/11 (63.6%) from the sector, 2/3 from past the arc, and 11/14 from the road within the third quarter. The group’s 27 factors was essentially the most that Virginia had allowed in 1 / 4 this whole season.

Aziaha James drilled a 3 pointer to open the fourth quarter, making NC State 5/13 from three. It was clear that the Wolfpack had gained the three level offense vs. three level protection battle.

Halfway by the fourth quarter, the digital camera panned to Mir McLean in a full leg brace sitting on the bench. It was an encouraging signal and a testomony to McLean’s ardour for the sport to see her, regardless of the apparent ache she was in. 

With a strong hole in place, the fourth quarter was freed from drama, with NC State persevering with to extend its lead. Ultimately, the ultimate rating can be 87-62, essentially the most factors Virginia has allowed this season.

“Clearly, NC State performed effectively,” Coach Mox stated after the sport. “We’re on the highway and enjoying a top-10 group, however I believed we continued to battle and did not appear too far gone, even early within the third. However the sport is secondary, truthfully, to what we simply witnessed with any person that is in our household [being injured] and simply praying that she’s okay. I feel when Mir went down, that was a giant blow and our gamers having to witness that, I am simply actually happy with them for persevering with to battle after that.”

The NC State offense got here from all angles, because the group had 5 gamers in double figures and eight gamers with not less than seven factors. Jada Boyd led all scorers with 13 factors. For the Cavaliers, Camryn Taylor had 16 factors, Taylor Valladay had 13, and Sam Brunelle had 12.

All that may be stated is that NC State placed on an offensive clinic, whereas the Cavaliers struggled to seek out the underside of the online. UVA took 22 extra pictures than NC State due to 16 offensive rebounds and since NC State bought to the road extra, however UVA was 25/76 (32.9%) from the sector in comparison with NC State being 31/54 (57.4%). A margin like that’s one that’s practically not possible to beat.

Virginia falls to 13-3 on the season, and 2-3 within the ACC. More likely to be with out the providers of Mir McLean, the Hoos will face No. 22 North Carolina at dwelling on Thursday night time. 

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