The No. 21 Virginia women's basketball team won their fourth straight last night against St. Bonaventure, 72-64 at John Paul Jones Arena. This came just hours after head coach Debbie Ryan learned that starting freshman point guard China Crosby had torn her left ACL and would miss the remainder of the season.
Crosby averaged 5.9 points and 21.7 minutes per game this season. It is too late in the season for her to qualify for a medical redshirt.
"It is too deep unfortunately and that is what kills you," Ryan said. "It just happened at just a really, really bad time."
Without Crosby, the Cavaliers were visibly struggling through the first half and well into the second. It wasn't until the 10:24 mark, trailing 49-47, that the Cavaliers went on an 18-6 run sparked by rookie Lexie Gerson's three-point hit. Gerson recorded a career high 13 points, all of which were amassed in the second half.
"That was big. It helped our offense get better. It helped our defense get better," said current ACC Player of the Week Monica Wright, who scored 19 points. "When someone else steps up it takes pressure off everybody."
Virginia opens conference play on Thursday against Florida State at 7:00 p.m. in Tallahassee.