From the way the Cavaliers rebounded, you would never have guessed they would be playing their fourth game in eight days. With a stunning 56-25 rebound advantage, Virginia pulled ahead of East Carolina in the second half to grab a 72-50 win at the Cavalier Classic on Sunday afternoon at the John Paul Jones Arena.
Virginia attacked the offensive glass early and often to take an early lead. The Cavaliers racked up seven offensive rebounds and scored nine second-chance points in the first quarter, but led only 14-11 thanks to a 4-0 run from ECU to end the first third.
The Pirates continued that run early in the second game when UVA turned the ball on back-to-back possessions, resulting in easy transition buckets for East Carolina. Momentum returned in the Cavaliers’ favor midway through the quarter as they achieved a rare five-point possession. Taylor Valladay drove to the basket for a layup plus a foul. She missed the following free throw but got her own rebound and fed McKenna Dale for a three-pointer. Sam Brunelle followed up with another second chance bucket on the next drive down to cap a lightning-fast 7-0 run for Virginia over just 48 seconds.
However, ECU ended the quarter strong again, scoring four of their last five field goals to reduce the deficit to six points after Virginia led 28-17 by as many as 11 points. Danae McNeal kept the Pirates close with some sly finishes at the basket and led 10 points in the first half to lead all scorers.
UVA overtook ECU 27-15 in the first half, including a 12-8 lead in offensive boards, resulting in a substantial 19-6 second chance points advantage for the Cavaliers. Virginia had scored an even goal in the first half, with four different players scoring at least five points.
In a smart first half, 20 combined fouls were conceded. The referees ruled out an even closer game in the third quarter with a total of 15 fouls committed in that ten-minute period. Virginia handled the close office better than East Carolina, shooting 7-of-13 from the floor and holding ECU on a dismal 14.3% shot rate to win the quarter 22-7, a six-point contest at halftime turned into a 53-. 34 Blowout Entering the fourth quarter.
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Mir McLean was the catalyst for UVA’s explosion in the third quarter, recording six points on a perfect 3/3 shot and four rebounds in the third period alone. The former UConn transfer hit her second straight double-double, finishing with 11 points, 14 rebounds and four steals.
The Cavaliers continued to win the rebound fight in the fourth quarter and finished the game with a game-changing 25-6 advantage in second chance points. Sam Brunelle added nine points in the fourth quarter and led UVA with 15 points on 5/7 shooting. When McKenna Dale came into play, he was a combined 0/15 from three-point range. She finally ended her losing streak on Sunday by dropping three three-pointers and finishing with ten points and eight rebounds.
With the win, Virginia matches the 1992-1993 UVA women’s basketball team’s 8-0 start. The 1991-1992 Cavaliers started the season 13-0.
Next up is Virginia, playing the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Penn State on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
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