UVA Women's Basketball Falls at Miami 77-74 | Key Takeaways

Virginia Athletics

Virginia Women’s basketball lost a heartbreaker to Miami 77-74. After leading by 13 at the end of the first quarter and leading for nearly 35 minutes, the Wahoos could not close out the game down the stretch. Let’s look at some quick takeaways.

Wahoos get off to a quick start

Unlike many of Virginia's losses this season, the Hoos actually took the lead early, dominating the first quarter. UVA closed the quarter on a 23-6 run, behind five three-pointers and only one turnover. Taylor Lauterbach led the team with six points from beyond the arc in the first frame. With four minutes left in the second quarter, UVA’s win probability peaked at 90%. It seemed that Coach Mox’s squad was going to pick up a relatively easy ACC road victory.

But inconsistency lets Miami back into the game

As I have mentioned over and over this season, Virginia has just been unable to string together four consistent quarters on a regular basis. After starting the game flaming hot, the Cavaliers cooled off in the second quarter, missing all five attempts from deep and allowing a 10-0 Miami run that cut the lead down to five. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Hoos allowed a 9-0 run that gave Miami their first lead since early in the first quarter. After only one turnover in the first quarter, Virginia committed five in the second frame.

This hot and cold style that UVA plays is simply not reliable enough for the Hoos to win games in the ACC. For long stretches, the Wahoos look like a top 25 team in the country, but then a few poor minutes allow their opponents back in the game. Against Miami, it was an inability to get a defensive stop, so when UVA went cold offensively, their lead disappeared. 

Read Val's Plus/Minus breakdown of the game here.

Latasha Lattimore shines in her return to Miami

After spending the last two seasons in Coral Gables, Lattimore seemed very comfortable in her return, leading all scorers with 25 points to go along with seven rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. Lattimore consistently provided a spark for the Hoos: completing a three point play after Miami took the lead, grabbing three offensive rebounds, and coming up with two blocks in the final minute. Unfortunately, these plays were not enough for UVA to come out on top, but Lattimore should be proud of how she performed in her return.

Despite better rebounding, defensive struggles doom the Hoos

Frequent readers of my takeaways know that I often talk about UVA getting dominated on the offensive glass in key moments. While they did allow four offensive rebounds in the final frame, I thought generally UVA looked better on the boards. UVA actually out-rebounded Miami on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball and led 21-7 in second chance points. However, Miami outscored UVA 17-2 on the fast break.

Given the speed that Virginia likes to play, it is critical that they set up their half court defense on time. I would argue that some of this blame falls on UVA’s increased emphasis on rebounding. Although Virginia did secure 14 offensive boards, they didn’t have as many defenders prepared to stop Miami in transition. Don’t get me wrong, it is critical that UVA continue to emphasize rebounding, but it cannot come at the expense of fast break points. 

Ultimately, Virginia cannot close out another close game

The game on Thursday was a familiar sight for Virginia fans and unfortunately a familiar result. This was UVA’s fifth ACC game that was within a possession with less than three minutes left. Coach Mox’s squad is 0-5 in those games. For a team that seems to play to their competition, it is critical that they get stops down the stretch and find ways to score points.

The Hoos allowed Miami to score on 7/8 of their last possessions, so when UVA finally couldn’t match, Miami took the lead for good. While a couple of Miami’s shots were low percentage, UVA also allowed some easy looks and committed some bad fouls down the stretch. On the offensive side, Virginia didn’t make a field goal in the final 2:23. Great teams find ways to win these types of games and unfortunately Virginia just isn’t there yet.

This Quad 3 loss is yet another blow to UVA’s NCAA tournament resume. The Hoos will look to get back on track as they visit Syracuse on Sunday at Noon on the ACC Network. 

More UVA Women's Basketball News & Content

The Plus/Minus: UVA Women's Basketball Drops a Heartbreaker to Louisville

The Plus/Minus: Virginia Women’s Basketball Falls Against Georgia Tech

UVA Women's Basketball Falls to No. 18 Georgia Tech 75-62

Evaluating Virginia Women's Basketball's NCAA Tournament Outlook

Round Robin: Evaluating UVA Women's Basketball at Halfway Point of Season


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Luke Lamberson
LUKE LAMBERSON

Luke has been working for Virginia Cavaliers on SI since October of 2024 and primarily covers UVA women's basketball. He is from Midlothian, Virginia, graduated from the University of Virginia in 2024, and currently lives in Chicago.