The Plus/Minus: UVA women’s basketball falls to Duke in Durham

Minus

This was always going to be a trap game; and really, when could going to Cameron ever be considered a “trap game?” After an 11-day exam break and then barely breaking a sweat against Morgan State, the women will get an 8-day holiday break before hosting Georgia Tech. This game always had the feel of a one-off game in the middle of the bleak midwinter. And on this night, the Virginia Cavaliers played like it too.

Minus

Size counts in basketball and the Duke Blue Devils are tall and long. Kennedy Brown is 6’6”, while Mia Heidi and Taya Corosdale are listed at 6’3”. All are taller than Virginia’s trio of bigs in Sam Brunelle, Camryn Taylor and London Clarkson. Virginia has thus far been dominant on the boards by having good size at the wing, but Duke is just as long at wing. A glance at the metrics would make it look like Virginia held their own against Duke’s size. Total rebounds were pretty even as Duke had a 41-40 edge with both teams collecting 13 offensive boards. Virginia matched Duke with 24 points in the paint. So far so good. But…

Minus

Virginia was in early foul trouble and effectively lost the game in the second quarter when Mir McLean sat out the entire frame. Clarkson, Taylor and Kaydan Lawson all saw limited first-half action because of foul trouble and both McLean and Taylor would foul out. The game was physical — the teams combined to attempt 51 free throws — and McLean and Taylor committed a couple of silly fouls, but let me assure you, the Duke women benefit from the same home-field refereeing advantage as do the men.

Plus

The Wahoos did get their fair ups at the charity stripe and shot better than they usually do, 77%. McLean, who struggled earlier this season at the line, looks like she’s found her form. Brunelle struggled from the field but got to the pinstripe eight times, converting seven. But Taylor Valladay struggled from the line, missing the front end on all three of her trips to the line. She’s the player who is going to have the ball in her hands at the end of the game and she can get to the rim in transition almost any time she wants. UVA really needs her to be better at the line when the games are close. And this is the ACC, there are going to be a lot more close games here on out.

Minus

The Cavaliers are still struggling with their decision-making in transition. There were several “wow” moments as Carole Miller, Lawson and Alexia Smith went to the rim in transition. I get it, this team wants to run, wants to push the pace, but there were just as many moments that had me shaking my head. Valladay three times went to the rim challenging Duke’s Brown. Three times she had her shot blocked and two of those times the ball bounced off Valladay going out of bounds for a Duke ball. Valladay is trying to make something happen, UVA is losing to the Blue Devils and the outside shot isn’t falling, but she’s giving up a full foot to Brown. That’s a losing proposition.

Minus

The ‘Hoos did themselves no favors by committing too many silly fouls. Twice they fouled on three point attempts — and they weren’t remotely close to blocking/altering the shots — and the Blue Devils converted all six foul shots. Too many reaching fouls. And Taylor killed a rally by earning a technical for taunting. It was a soft call — hey, it’s Duke at home, so you have to expect this — but the ‘Hoos were playing well and had clawed back to just a 7-point deficit. Of course, Duke made both free throws and got the ball and the rally was snuffed.

Plus

Alexia Smith had her best game of the season, scoring 11 points on 4-7 shooting. She made her only 3-point shot and was a perfect 2-2 from the line. She became the seventh Cav to lead the team in scoring. Yonta Vaughn, a freshman, backs up Valladay at the point, and she’s going to be a fine player, but Smith can handle the ball and, in tight games like this, I’d like to see her get more run time at the point.

Minus

McLean fouled out of the first half. With a minute left in the first quarter, she picked up her second foul and sat of the bench the entire second quarter. What was a four-point first quarter deficit ballooned into a 12-point hole, a gap that the ‘Hoos could never close. This is standard coaching wisdom — save the player so that they don’t foul out late in the game — but in essence they foul out early. Duke is the best team Virginia has played all year and the ‘Hoos are playing them in Cameron and the refs are favoring them. Unfortunately, UVA’s not going to beat them without McLean. I know the rationale, and Tony Bennett is hostage to the same way of thinking, but I think McLean has to stay in the game.

Plus

This team didn’t give up. For everything that didn’t go well for the Cavs, and let me throw in poor three-point shooting as well, this game felt like it was Duke blow out. Except it wasn’t. Duke won comfortably, but they had to work for all 40 minutes. Duke got something of a miraculous three at the first half buzzer: Shayenne Day-Wilson was all of 40’ from the basket. They had a nice, if fortunate buzzer beater to end the third quarter. Take away two bone-headed fouls on three-pointers, and this is a very different game. Coulda… Shoulda… Woulda… I know. But the point is, the women kept themselves in the game and I’m pretty sure that Coach Agugua-Hamilton can turn this into a positive learning experience and the ‘Hoos’ post-season experience will be better off for it.

Next Up: It’s holiday break. The Cavaliers will host Georgia Tech on Thursday, December 29^th at 7:0pm. The game will be shown on ACCN Extra.