Monday Motivation: Basketball's Back...ALL RIGHT!

It was a big week of action in Virginia athletics. Let's not delay... straight to the winning!

Rapid Fire

-Women's Basketball opened up their season on the road and took down Middle Tennessee, 70-66. Five Wahoo scored double digits in the game, led by Lauren Moses with 13 points. The Cavaliers overcame slow shooting in the first half to take the win, shooting almost 46% in the second half. Virginia's home-opener will take place tonight at 7pm as the Hoos host Norfolk State.

Check out the highlights:

-No.6 (and ACC Champion) Women's Cross Country took first place in the NCAA Southeast Regional, qualifying them for the NCAA Finals. Cleo Boyd finished first for the Hoos and in 7th place overall. Boyd and four teammates that all finished in the top-15 were honored on the All-Southeast Region team. Virginia finished ahead of ACC foes No.8 NC State and No.28 North Carolina in the meet. The NCAA Championship meet will take place Saturday in Louisville. Good luck, ladies!

-Women's Volleyball picked up a pair of wins this week, taking down Clemson (3-1) and Georgia Tech (3-0) in dominating fashion. Virginia is now 17-10 (9-7 ACC) and closes their regular home season this weekend against NC State and North Carolina.

-No.23 Wrestling won a huge match against No.15 Old Dominion University. Virginia got a big boost from Pat Gillen when he pinned his opponent, erasing a 4-0 deficit for the Hoos and giving them a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Despite having the lead for most of the day, the Cavaliers relied on a solid performance from first year Fox Baldwin (GREAT name) at the 174 weight class to secure the victory. Virginia next heads to Pennsylvania Sunday.

-Virginia Rowing finished their fall season with a couple wins in the delightfully named Rivanna Romp. The Varsity Eight A and B teams took the top spots for the day, with several other boats placing throughout the event. The win for the Varsity Eight A team was their 10th straight win in the event.

-Shout out to Matt Johns (260 yards, four touchdowns) and Canaan Severin (116 yards receiving, three touchdowns) for their solid performances on Saturday. Oh, and Nick Conte for his 67 yard punt.

HOO-mongous Wins

-No.1 Women's Soccer destroyed Howard 7-1 on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It got close when Howard brought it to 2-1, but the Hoos didn't stress and rattled off five goals to finish the game. Makenzy Doniak and Victoria Latsko each scored two goals in the game, and the Cavaliers also got goals from Meghan Cox, Alexis Shaffer, and Ayan Adu. Virginia will play UNC-W this weekend as they look to return to the College Cup.

-No.6 Men's Basketball returned with an impressive 86-48 showing over Morgan State. Mike Tobey led the Cavaliers with 15 points and eight rebounds, and fans got their first glimpse of Darius Thompson, Jarred Reuter, and Jack Salt. Devon Hall provided an excellent spark off the bench with 13 points, four assists, and no turnovers. Anthony Gill added 12 points, seven rebounds, an assist, and a steal in a solid showing after missing a couple "bunnies" early.

The biggest delight, however, was Tennessee transfer Darius Thompson. DT got the nod for the start from Coach Bennett, and made a huge impact. He scored 12 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished four assists (with no turnovers), and had three steals. He knew when to push the ball and when to slow it down, and he had a three pointer and huge alley oop, showing his versatility. Oh, and his hair is awesome.

London Perrantes went 2-for-3 from three point land, with an assist (and a turnover, boooo), a steal, and a block (?!?!). Reuter and Salt did a great job off the bench, each scoring their first career baskets. Reuter finished with eight points, six boards, and an assist, while "Salty Jack" had five points and three rebounds.

Defensively, the Hoos held Morgan State to 34% shooting in the game, and kept their opponent under 50 (Pack Line Pledge!). The Bears made seven three-pointers, including one absolute prayer in the second half as the shot clock wound down to zero. Unfortunately, I don't think they keep a stat for shot clock violations (do they?!), but I remember at least two.

The Hoos take on George Washington TONIGHT in DC, so if you're in the area, join us at the Charles Smith Center to cheer for the good guys! Go Hoos!