CHARLOTTESVILLE – Taylor Emery got the Hokies out to a quick lead in the first quarter and the senior guard would go on to score a game high 26 points, but the Virginia Tech women's basketball team (13-3, 0-3) would fall 62-58 at John Paul Jones Arena Thursday evening.
(1/10/2019) 2019 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL at VIRGINIA
For Virginia (7-9, 1-2) the win was their fifth straight in the series. The Cavaliers were led by 29 points from Dominque Toussaint and 15 from Brianna Tinsley, including 7 of 7 from the free throw line down the stretch.
Emery, got the game started by hitting a jumper on the opening possession, then connecting on a 3-pointer from the top of the key to get Tech off to a 5-0 start. The All-ACC performer would go on to score the Hokies' first 17 points, willing the team to a 17-16 advantage.
The Hokies started to distance themselves from the Hoos with an 11-0 run in the second frame, that included buckets by Dara Mabrey, Trinity Baptiste and Aisha Sheppard. Tech would carry that momentum into the locker room, holding a 15-poitn advantage.
Tech build its largest lead in the third quarter, following an 8-0 spurt at the 5:54 mark going up 19, the largest lead of the night. However, UVA would fight back, adjusting defensively and using hot shooting in the fourth to mount a comeback.
Jocelyn Willoughby, Tinsley and Lisa Jablonowski combined for an 11-0 run to take the lead, Virginia's first since early in the second quarter, and the Cavaliers would ice the game at the free throw line, where they were 20 of 24 on the night.
For the Hokies, Regan Magarity recorded another double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. As a team, Tech shot 37 percent from the floor and made 12 shots from beyond the arc.
COMMONWEALTH CLASH
The Tech-UVA game was presented by Virginia529, the official college savings plan of Virginia Tech Athletics and the University of Virginia Athletics. The score for the "Commonwealth Clash" is now 4-2.5 in favor of Virginia Tech. Learn more about Virginia529 and this competition at www.thecommonwealthclash.com.
NEXT GAME
The Hokies will have the weekend off from competition as they prepare to host the nation's top ranked team Notre Dame on Wednesday, Jan. 16. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Tickets for the game can be found HERE.