UVA Women's Basketball Thumps Penn State 89-68 in ACC/Big Ten Challenge

In a clash of two unbeaten teams in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, the expectation was that this matchup between the Cavaliers and Nittany Lions would be competitive and close. The Wahoos had other ideas, however, jumping out to big lead early on and maintaining a 15-point advantage for most of the game. 

After receiving two votes in the AP Top 25 poll this week, Coach Mox and the Cavaliers showed the country that they are more than deserving of national recognition, as the Virginia women's basketball team cruised to a convincing 89-68 road win over previously-unbeaten Penn State on Wednesday night in State College. The win was UVA's first victory in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge since 2012. 

Virginia opened with an 11-2 run to start the game before the first media timeout with the help of five early points from Sam Brunelle. The Hoos started 4/6 from the field while Penn State was 1/8. The Cavaliers continued to extend their lead and led by as many as 15 points in the first quarter thanks to shooting 8/16 from the field. At the end of the first quarter, Virginia led 22-7.

In the second quarter, Penn State put together a 7-0 run to narrow the deficit to 28-16, but then McKenna Dale responded with a timely three-pointer for the Cavaliers. The rest of the second quarter was all Mir McLean, who scored 11 points in the quarter alone, including going 7/7 from the free throw line. The two teams played evenly in the second quarter with UVA holding a 22-21 advantage, so the Hoos led 44-28 at halftime.

The Cavaliers have struggled from the free throw line on the season, but the team was a perfect 11/11 in the first half.

After only scoring four points in the paint in the second quarter, the Hoos pounded it inside in the third quarter to score 16 points in the paint, helping them shoot 10/18 (56%) from the field.

Just when Penn State put together a few baskets looking to chip away, the Cavaliers were able to respond and maintain the 20-point lead. UVA led 68-48 after three periods.

The fourth quarter was free of drama for the Cavaliers, as they never led by less than 17 points. The highlight of the fourth quarter was Mir McLean adding seven points to her scoring total, giving her a career-high 24 points as well as 13 rebounds for her third-straight double-double. But McLean was not alone in leading the Cavaliers, as Camryn Taylor poured in 17 points on an efficient 7/9 from the floor. Carole Miller and and Alexia Smith had solid performances off the bench with eight points apiece. 

UVA managed 14 offensive rebounds and scored 19 second chance points in the game, with Mir McLean leading that charge. When the buzzer sounded, the Cavaliers put a bow on a dominant 89-68 victory. 

Virginia moves to 9-0 on the season for the first time since the 1991-1992 season. The nine-game winning streak is the first one for the Cavaliers since the 2008-2009 season. Virginia will look to make it 10-0 back at home against UNC-Wilmington on Sunday at 2pm at John Paul Jones Arena. 

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