Hoos get back in win column, downing Boston College, 66-50

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The Virginia women’s basketball team ended a three-game losing streak with a 66-50 win against Boston College on Sunday at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers (14-4, 3-4 ACC) trailed by as many as 11 points in the opening half before dominating the final 20 minutes, outscoring the Eagles 41-22, to improve to 10-1 at home this season.

Senior forward London Clarkson set a Virginia record by converting all 14 of her free-throw attempts on her way to a career-high 18 points. She was one of three Cavaliers to score in double figures. UVA made 27 of its 28 shots from the charity stripe as a team.

Junior guard Kaydan Lawson recorded the first double-double of her career, scoring 11 points with a career-high 15 rebounds. Senior forward Camryn Taylor made seven of nine shots, including her first six attempts, to finish with 17 points.

Junior guard Dontavia Waggoner led Boston College with 16 points while junior forward JoJo Lacey finished with a career-high 10 rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Boston College (13-7, 3-4) jumped out to a 6-0 lead 3:35 into the contest on a pull-up jumper by Taina Mair and cruised to a 15-8 lead after the opening quarter. Virginia struggled offensively, missing its first four shots and committing four turnovers to start the game. The Eagles, who led by as many as nine points (15-6) also struggled with miscues during the opening period, matching the Cavaliers with six turnovers.

After a pair of Boston College baskets increased the Eagles’ lead to 19-8, Virginia fought back during the second quarter behind the play of Clarkson. She scored 11 points, including a perfect nine-for-nine from the free throw line, to help UVA close to a single point at 26-25 with 1:08 to play. A layup by BC’s Ally Vantimmeren gave the Eagles a 28-25 halftime advantage.

Virginia dominated the game after halftime, outscoring the Eagles 23-9 in the third quarter to take a 48-37 lead into the final period. Lawson and Taylor both scored nine points in the third quarter. UVA took its first lead in the contest at the 5:47 mark off a three-point play from Taylor when she grabbed a loose ball under the UVA basket and scored while being fouled and then converting the free throw.

UVA scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter, capped off when graduate student Sam Brunelle drove the left side of the lane and converted a basket and free throw at the 6:27 mark. Brunelle finished the contest with eight points to eclipse the 1,000-point mark in her collegiate career.

Boston College put together an 8-0 run to close to within 58-45 with 3:39 to play, but UVA made its final eight free throws to seal the win. The Cavaliers were 12-for-12 from the line during the final quarter. Virginia did not make a field goal during the game’s final 6:27.

GAME NOTES

• Virginia went 18 of 50 from the field (36.0 percent); Boston College was 18 of 66 (27.3 percent)
• Boston College equaled UVA in rebounding (40-40)
• Sam Brunelle finished the game with eight to surpass the 1,000-point mark in her career (1,003). She scored 797 of those points at Notre Dame
• UVA’s 27 free throws were a season high and its attempts (28) matched a season high
• The 96.4 percent from the line ranks 11th-best in the nation this year in a single game, trailing only the 10 teams who have been perfect from the line in a game this season. Utah also had a 27-of-28 free-throw shooting game to tie for 11th
• Virginia blocked a season-high nine shots
• Ariana Moorer previously held the Cavaliers’ single-game free-throw efficiency mark with a 13-of-13 performance against Virginia Tech on Feb. 19, 2012
• Clarkson is the sixth player in program history to shoot 12 of 12 or better from the line, joining Moorer, Monica Wright, Mimi McKinney, Tammi Reiss and Jocelyn Willoughby
• UVA senior guard Taylor Valladay was suspended (coach’s decision) and did not participate in the contest

Kaydan Lawson’s first double-double
🔷 London Clarkson school record FTs
🔶 Sam Brunelle’s 1000th career points
Those and so many more highlights from today’s W against BC 👇 #GoHoos🔶⚔️ #GNSL pic.twitter.com/eJdu2j0ufJ

— Virginia Women’s Basketball (@UVAWomensHoops) January 15, 2023

FROM HEAD COACH AMAKA AGUGUA-HAMILTON
“I’m just so proud of our team. There’s been so much adversity as of late and the word today was resilience, and being resilient through everything. I thought they left it all out there. There is never going to be a perfect game. There are going to be mistakes. We’ve just got to weather the storm, but some of these breakout performances just make my heart smile. [Kaydan Lawson and London Clarkson] in particular but also the whole team in the way we rallied and came together.” 

ON THE HORIZON
Virginia wraps up its three-game home stand when Florida State visits John Paul Jones Arena on Thursday, Jan. 19. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.