The Plus/Minus: Virginia Falls to LSU at Star-Studded Cayman Islands Classic

Virginia gave defending national champion LSU all they could handle before succumbing late 76-73

Virginia women's basketball played No. 7 LSU down to the wire on Saturday at the Cayman Islands Classic, falling 76-73. Val has the Plus/Minus to break down what we saw from the Cavaliers in this encouraging loss. 

Plus

Virginia traded blows with LSU all game long despite Camryn Taylor having her worst game of the past two seasons. This is the last foreseeable game that could be considered a moral victory, but to go to the wire against a Kim Mulkey-led team featuring Aneesah Morrow and Hailey van Lith is evidence of the continued growth of the program.

Minus

The Cavaliers got absolutely pummeled on the boards and in the paint by the aforementioned Morrow. She scored 37 points on 15/25 shooting and recorded 16 rebounds, 10 of the offensive variety. Virginia is a good rebounding team, had an 19-18 advantage on the offensive boards, and had a 21-15 margin in second chance points. But Morrow’s offensive rebounds were back-breaking. Many a time she was surrounded by Cavaliers and she snagged the board anyway. Virginia simply had no answer for Morrow. 

Plus

Sam Brunelle and Yonta Vaughn continued their torrid shooting from deep. It was a great two-day tourney for the pair. Brunelle was 5/11 vs LSU and 9/16 for the tournament. Vaughn was even more efficient. After going 4/8 against Tulane, she was 3/4 against LSU. The rest of Virginia’s shooters came back to earth against LSU, but Vaughn and Brunelle were hunting for their shots and were the reason this game came down to the wire.

Plus

Paris Clark got the start and put on a show, scoring ten points in the first quarter, 15 in the first half, and was the team’s high scorer with 19. Clark scored every way possible. She pumped at the three-point line, drove and hit a floater in the lane. She was perfect from the free-throw line, she powered to the rim on a pair of fast breaks, and was the trailer on a third. She had a monster offensive board and put back and she, in effect, had a pair of threes (her toes were on the line for one of them.) She very much looked the part of the five-star, McDonald’s All-American she was. Both Clark and Brunelle got their first starts of the season as they continue to work back towards full fitness.

Plus

This game was an advertisement for the women’s game. LSU’s Angel Reese, last year’s final four MVP, is missing and Kim Mulkey isn’t speaking. In her stead, Aneesah Morrow put on a clinic on post play, scoring 66 points over two games in the Caymans. There were 14 lead changes, to go along with 12 ties; both teams ran and attacked the paint, and the game went down to the wire. (And since it does matter in terms of watchability, the refs were uniformly excellent in this game.)

Plus

Jillian Brown defending Hailey Van Lith on the last possession of the first half. With just 15 seconds left and the ball in Van Lith’s hands, she held it to make the final play of the half. Van Lith lives for these kinds of moments and she may be the most cocksure player in college basketball. But Brown made her pass the ball up and LSU did not get the shot off before the buzzer sounded. 

Plus

The women could have rolled over late in the fourth quarter, but they didn’t. LSU came out on fire as the fourth quarter started going on an 11-3 run to open up a 10-point lead. But five different Cavaliers scored to get it down to a one-possession game. The chances were there: Coach Agugua-Hamilton called for full court pressure and they forced a steal and an LSU turnover (off an in-bounds play after their coach had called a timeout.)

Minus

The team’s youth showed at the end. Virginia had two possessions in the last minute and couldn’t get a good shot on either try. Kymora Johnson plays without fear, has Reece Beekman’s defensive instincts, and she’s going to be a stud. But end of the game? With a chance to knock off the reigning champ? The backcourt should have been Vaughn, Brown and Clark. I’ve gotten the feeling the past couple of games that Johnson has been reading her own hype. Vaughn is much more in control at this point in the season. Hopefully this will be a learning experience for Mo.

Next Up: It’s the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge. Gone is the ACC vs. B1G 10. On the men’s side, at least, the SEC is a better basketball conference (all that football money is seeping into the hoops programs.) For their first game, Virginia hosts Missouri on Thursday, November 30th at John Paul Jones Arena. Game time is 5pm and the game is on the ACC Network.

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