Sunday, January 22, 2006

Bounce Back

Less than 48 hours after a demoralizing loss to Maryland in OT, the Virginia women's basketball team was on the road to take on a very good Miami team. Virginia knew what was at stake, a loss would drop them to 1-4 in the ACC. With the season on the line, the Cavaliers responded and got a big victory 77-65 over the Hurricanes.

"I'm proud of our team for handling adversity," head coach Debbie Ryan said after the game.

Last year Virginia faltered against the 'Canes because they could not stop star Tamara James. James had only two point in the first half this go around, and gave Virginia the confidence they needed to win their second consecutive ACC road game after taking down Virginia Tech earlier in the week. James finished with 15 points, but the real star for Miami was G Renee Taylor. She finished with 21 points and 6 assists. The problem for Miami was everyone else. No other player could step up when the chips were down, no one else scored in double figures.

For UVA, the Hoos were led by three-point machine Brenna McGuire. The guard was featured on Cavalier Sports Weekly today, and she earned the merit going for a career high 22 pints and 4-9 shooting from behind the arc. Siedah Williams continued her strong season with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Tiffany Sardin registered a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. It was this strong outing in all aspects of the game that kept Virginia in front, and led them pull away after a 30-29 halftime lead.

The rebounding, the turnovers and the big plays all went Virginia's way when it was much needed. Now Virginia is 13-4 on the season 2-3 in the ACC. While still a losing mark, Virginia has much less of a hole to dig out of if they wish to contend for a high seed in the ACC tournament. Next up for Virginia is Boston College. The Lady Eagles are ranked 22nd/21st in the nation, but may drop out after a loss to Wake Forest earlier this week. The game will be at the Conte Forum, the second road game in a row. Virginia has looked all the bit like road warriors as of late. They will need another strong performance if they are to defeat their second ranked team this season, but with the way things have been going, you can't put it past them.

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