UVA Women's Basketball Beats Maryland Eastern Shore 80-64 | Key Takeaways

Luke Lamberson | 6 Hours Ago

Virginia Athletics

Virginia women’s basketball defeated University of Maryland Eastern Shore 80-64 on Wednesday night. Surviving a slow start, the Hoos took control in the second half and managed to snap their four-game losing streak. Let’s look at some quick takeaways from a game that was much closer than the final score.

Breona Hurd comes off the bench for the first time

Payton Dunbar earned her first career start for the Wahoos Tuesday night, although she only played three minutes. Coming off the bench after starting the first 11 games of her career, Breona Hurd looked comfortable once she checked in, scoring 11 points to go along with four rebounds, three assists, and three blocks. Coach Mox loves to tinker with starting lineups, so it is not much of a surprise to see a switch after a four-game losing streak, but Hurd responded well.

Latasha Lattimore looks great again

After being one of the few bright spots for the Hoos against Boston College, Lattimore dominated UMES, scoring an efficient 18 points on 10 shots and snatching 15 rebounds. Although she will need to clean up the five turnovers, Lattimore has established herself as the clear number two offensive threat, which is a critical development for this team who struggled with offensive consistency. On the defensive side, Lattimore was disruptive at the top of the 3-2 defensive zone. Although lacking in pure interior presence, Lattimore’s versatility serves UVA well and will be critical for the Hoos to turn their season around.

Hoos struggle to dominate lesser teams

Stop me if you have heard this before: UVA started slow as a big favorite and needed to rely on exceptional guard play to dig out of a first-half hole. In their two losses in Puerto Rico, the Hoos were unable to come back. Without a consistent interior threat, UVA struggles if their threes are not falling and at times cannot find reliable scoring. In the second quarter against UMES, the Cavaliers scored only 11 points on only two field goals.

Similarly, 11 first half turnovers and 19 overall are the next occurrence of a common pattern. Coach Mox’s teams love to push the pace, but taking care of the ball is just as critical. In their best games last season, the UVA women avoided live-ball turnovers and found easy baskets. In order to make a run in the ACC and re-enter the NCAA picture, the same must be true with this team. The second half was more encouraging as the Hoos scored at will, including 11 fast break points. Additionally, better shot selection led to the Cavs shooting 6/12 from three in the second half, a marked improvement from the 2/11 at halftime.

Mo Johnson decided she was going to win

I want to draw attention to a particular sequence that emphasizes Johnson’s importance to the team. With eight minutes left in the third quarter and the Hoos down four, Mo hit a three, then immediately got a steal on the ensuing inbound, leading to a transition three from Breona Hurd. The Hoos would never trail again. Mo has the ability to completely take over games and the third quarter on Tuesday was no exception. Finishing with 24 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and two steals (including nine points in the third quarter), Mo simply would not allow her team to lose.

This talent disparity has not been utilized by the Wahoos at times this season, so it was encouraging to see UVA pull away on steals, acrobatic drives, and second-chance points. Despite rolling her ankle in the second half, Mo played lights out and raised the level of everyone on the floor. The flashes we saw in the second half were reminiscent of the best of last year’s team and fans hope it will be a sign of things to come.

Now 7-5 on the season, the Cavaliers will face Coppin State at home on Saturday, December 21st at 1pm (ACC Network Extra) in their final non-conference tune up before ACC play begins against Notre Dame.

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