Valladay Leads UVA Women's Basketball to Second Straight Win

Valladay scored a career-high 30 points and the Cavaliers defeated Pitt 74-65

Coming off its first ACC win in nearly two seasons on Thursday, the Virginia women's basketball team (5-20, 2-15 ACC) followed that up with another victory, as the Cavaliers defeated the Pittsburgh Panthers (11-16, 2-14 ACC) on Sunday evening at John Paul Jones Arena. 

Taylor Valladay had a career-night, dropping 30 points and seven assists.  Early on, it was UConn transfer Mir McLean providing the spark for the Cavaliers, as she took a charge and then proceeded to score the first basket of the game. She finished with eight points in the first quarter alone.

Valladay dished out four assists in the period and Virginia was 7/13 from the field. The high shooting percentage as well as forcing six Panther turnovers helped Virginia take a 18-8 lead after the first ten minutes. 

Pitt was able to bring the score to 24-20 in the second quarter with four points from Amber Brown. Then, it became a three-point shooting contest with Virginia’s Amandine Toi and McKenna Dale and Pitt’s Dayshanette Harris and Tracey Hueston checked in with three pointers. Valladay got a layup to fall in the final seconds of the second quarter, and Virginia led 36-28 going into halftime.

In the second half, it was the Taylor Valladay show. She went 5/6 from the floor in the third quarter, accounting for 13 of Virginia’s 18 points in the quarter. Dayshanette Harris nearly matched her with 11 points on 4/5 shooting as the two players showed their offensive prowess.

At one point in the third quarter, Harris made back-to-back three pointers and then her teammate Tracey Hueston made it three straight possessions with a shot from beyond the arc. The Panthers outscored the Cavaliers 25-18 in the third quarter and trailed by one headed into the final quarter, 54-53.

The Hoos refused to collapse under the pressure. A 9-0 run created by London Clarkson and Taylor Valladay propelled Virginia back to its previous lead. Valladay added 12 fourth quarter points to her total and was the x factor for the Cavaliers.

Pitt managed to pull within six points in the closing minutes, but Virginia sank several free throws to ice the game and win 74-65.

Taylor Valladay, the player of the game, finished with a career-high 30 points and added seven assists. Mir McLean had 16 points and eight rebounds, and London Clarkson had 10 points and five rebounds. Dayshanette Harris and Destiny Strother both finished with 16 points for the Panthers.

UVA was 26/35 from the free throw line and Pitt was just 11/15, and this advantage from the charity stripe was key in the contest.

After beginning the season 0-13 in ACC play, the Cavaliers have won two in a row. Virginia will look to make it three win in a row to end the regular season as the Hoos host North Carolina in the season finale on Thursday night at John Paul Jones Arena. 

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