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| 1 | 2 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|
 Virginia Tech (10-18, 1-14 ACC) | 31 | 28 | 59 |
 Virginia (16-11, 6-8 ACC) | 28 | 45 | 73 |
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia Tech women’s basketball team led 31-28 at the break, but Virginia answered in the second half, outscoring Tech 45-28 to claim the 73-59 decision Sunday afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville.
“We’re disappointed,” said head coach Dennis Wolff. “We didn’t play with the same intensity or purpose in the second half as we did in the first. Virginia had a little more toughness and made winning plays, and when we needed it, we didn’t.”
Vanessa Panousis dropped in 17 points to lead the Hokies (10-18, 1-14 ACC). Sidney Cook added 10 points while Taijah Campbell tallied nine points and grabbed four steals. Hannah Young led on the boards with seven rebounds and recorded a pair of blocks for the defensive side.
The first half was back-and-forth between the Hokies and the ‘Hoos with five ties and nine lead changes. Tech and UVA were knotted for the fifth time at 17 with 8:50 on the clock before the Cavaliers outscored the Hokies 11-5 over the next four minutes to go on top 28-24 with 4:22 to go. The Hokies responded going on a 7-0 run to close out the half, taking the 31-28 lead into the break.
Virginia opened the second frame with a 10-2 run, going up 38-33 after the first four minutes. The Cavaliers continued to hold on to the lead and were up eight (54-46) with 5:21 left to play. Panousis went to work for the Hokies, scoring nine straight points, including a pair of three-pointers, to pull Tech within three, 58-55 with just over four minutes remaining.
UVA responded with six straight, but the Hokies kept it within single-digits, trailing by seven following a Cook layup with 2:07 on the clock. In the final minutes, the Cavaliers connected on 9-of-10 from the free throw line to hold off the Hokies and secure the win.
Mikayla Vinson led the Cavaliers (16-11, 6-8 ACC) with 22 points. Faith Randolph added 17 and Lauren Moses tallied 13. Sarah Imovbioh led the ‘Hoos on the boards with seven rebounds.
Tech and UVA were even on the boards with 28 rebounds each, but the Hokies held a 12-9 advantage in second-chance points. The Hokies were also strong in the paint, scoring 26 points to UVA’s 22.
Virginia Tech was 21-of-53 from the field and went 6-of-22 from outside the arc while Virginia connected on 22-of-44, including 4-of-13 from three-point range.
The deciding difference in the game was at the free throw line where the Hokies shot a solid 73.3 percent on 11-of-15, but UVA took 14 more shots (29), connecting on 25 of them (17 in the second half) for 86.2 percent.
Virginia Tech will wrap up the regular season next weekend at Boston College. Game time is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 1 at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
For updates on Virginia Tech women's basketball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_WBBall
