Game 25: Virginia

Game number two this week and the rematch with the Cavaliers. 13 days ago we went down to JPJ Arena and looked in control for the first 25 minutes of the game, but then Virginia rattled off a 23-8 run and never looked back ending our winning streak against UVA. Tonight's game has a lot of importance in the race for the ACC title. A win keeps us alive for the #1 seed and regular season title as FSU plays UNC tomorrow night. A loss drops us to fifth and gives UVA the tiebreaker. We can't afford to play 4 games in 4 days.

Virginia
Record: 19-5
Conference: 5-3
Schedule since the last time we played: Longwood (W, 88-50), Duke (L, 81-67), Virginia Tech (W, 69-61)
PPG/Opp.: 74.0/63.4
FG%/Opp: 40.5/39.0
3FG%/Opp: 28.0/30.4
RPG/Opp: 43.9/37.4
TOs/Opp: 16.4/21.2

The Starters
Monica Wright - a do everything combo player who leads the team in scoring, steals, assists and field goals attempted. She is the team. She has taken 240 shots more than the next player on the team. Not the best three-pointer shooter but when she gets on a roll she rarely misses. Loves to provide help on the trap and come away with the steal.
Lyndra Littles - forward who missed the first half of the year due to grades (at Duke they would raise a banner for her). In 15 games, she has taken 236 shots. That works out to over 15 shots per game. She can take it inside and if left open will shoot the foul line jumper and top of the circle three-pointer. Second on the team in rebounds. She's the reason we lost the first time as we couldn't stop her.
Aisha Mohammed - Tall, Lanky center whose game has really improved this year. Leads the team in rebounding at nearly 10 per game. Shoots over 50% from the floor, but does almost all of her work in the paint. Can block shots but not as bring of a threat as you would imagine. Shoots only 59.1 percent from the free throw line.
Britnee Milner - the team's point guard when Wright lets her touch the ball. Fiesty defender who relies more on driving to the bucket than shooting the 3 (13.6%). Must be contained.
Kelly Hartig - placeholder in the starting line up. Has taken 51 shots all year. Mainly in there to block shots and pass the ball.

The Bench:Ariana Moorer - back up PG and outside shooting threat. Shoots 24.6 from 3 and 100 more shots inside the paint.
Chelsea Shine - back up post player who usually replaces Hartig. Doesn't shoot the 3. Leads the team in blocked shots. Shoots 42.1% from the floor.
Whitney Edwards - another back up guard who shoots more from the inside than the outside. Sometimes she plays, sometimes she doesn't.
Kristen London - another guard, but she seems more apt to shoot from deep.
Jayna Hartig - She displays the same skill set as her twin.
UVA's rotation aside from Moorer and Shine is a mystery. I think she just looks at the bench and points.

Keys to the Game:
1. Shut down Littles and Mohammed. Wright is going to get her points no matter what Maryland does. If you can keep Littles and Mohammed under 15 each we should win. They make the team go.
2. Rebound the ball. At their place we were outrebounded by six. Control the glass and limit the offensive opportunities.
3. Make smart passes. During UVA's run, I think I counted 3-4 lazy passes which just fell into the arms of UVA players.
4. Watch for the trap. The Cavs will bring the trap meaning that someone needs to come to Kristi and help get the ball. Doing that makes it a 4 on 3 opportunity.
5. Slow the run outs. UVA loves to grab the rebound and start the fast break. This means that on missed shots, Sa'de and KT must drop back to prevent easy baskets.


If we play composed, we will win.

See you tomorrow for the recap.