Preview: UVA Women’s Basketball Team Opens Friday against Mississippi State
Posted on Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, 7:37 am
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By Kipperly Tidball
The Virginia’s women’s basketball team opens its season at John Paul Jones Arena at 7 p.m. Friday against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, the national runner-up last season.
First-year head coach Tina Thompson and her team have been working hard to prepare for this season. “We are feeling good about where we are,” she said.
Many teams might be intimidated if put in the Cavalier’s position of playing the Bulldogs right off the bat. Naismith National Coach of the Year Vic Shaefer led MSU to the last two NCAA Tournament championship games in 2017 and 2018. The Bulldogs ended up losing both title games to South Carolina and Notre Dame, respectively, but they went undefeated in the regular season (30-0) with the second-longest winning streak in SEC history. Shearer’s 2017-18 team was ranked 15th overall nationally in scoring defense (56.1 points per game) and ranked 10th in offense, scoring an overall 3,033 points with an 82.0 scoring average.
The Cavaliers also played the first game of last year’s season against MSU on the road, and lost 68-53. Though UVa lagged behind in assists (7/16), turnovers (23/17) and fouls (22/18), the two teams had nearly identical game statistics in field goal percentages (.396/.397), 3-point percentages (both .333) and free throw percentages (.800/.818). In that game, UVa center Felicia Aiyeotan was responsible for the second-highest number of blocked shots against MSU all year with four.
UVa forward/guard Jocelyn Willoughby shared her excitement saying, “We opened against them last year and that was a fun, exciting game. Now, they get to come to our house. So, it makes it even better.”
Coach Thompson stated that playing against Mississippi State as her first game as head coach would not have been the way she would have planned the schedule. “It wouldn’t be my choice,” she admitted. “But are we afraid of that game? Absolutely not.”
“Is Mississippi State a tough game? Yes, they are a tough game for anybody in the country. We are not shying away from that. I mean, if we want to be the best, then we have to be the best.”
In an interview with UVa’s Orange and Blue Report this week, guard Dominique Toussaint expressed her gratitude that this year’s matchup will be at home at JPJ.
“I think all the energy the crowd brings always helps,” she said. “We’re really lucky that we’re going to play at home. We’ve got a sixth man behind us with the Wahoo fans.”
The home-team advantage may come in handy in slowing down senior Tearira McCowan in this second game of MSU’s season. McCowen, who was last-year’s preseason pic for SEC Player of the Year, recorded her 40th career double-double earlier this week in a win against Southeast Missouri State. She scored 24-points and led four other MSU players in double figures.
But, the Cavaliers have been growing and getting even stronger since last year, working on all aspects or their game. Thompson has been working hard to build upon the already strong defense of her student-athletes and focusing upon scoring points.
Willoughby explained, “I think, offensively, we knew we needed to score more. That was one of our deficiencies last year so it’s about enhancing our short-comings, ultimately. I think we’re going to be looking to play a faster-paced game, get more points on the board, especially in transition, and just have a more free-flowing offensive. That’s a huge difference between this year and last year. So, we’re excited.”
Dominique Toussaint summed it up. “Right now we’re just trying to make sure we execute our plays,” she said. “We already know how Mississippi State plays. We’re just making sure we can handle their intensity and go out there and put on a show.”
