Women’s notebook: Unbeaten Hoos clash with American on the road

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Posted on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022, 11:02 am

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Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Camryn Taylor (Photo: UVA Athletics)

The Virginia women’s basketball team closes out the week by playing at American on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Bender Arena in Washington, D.C.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

  • The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required)
  • All of the 2022-23 Virginia women’s basketball games are available locally on the radio on NewsRadio 1070 AM and 98.9 FM WINA
  • Live stats be available
  • Links are posted on VirginiaSports.com

HOOS HOMECOMING

  • Sunday’s game is a homecoming game for two student-athletes from the DC metro area
  • Alexandria native senior guard Carole Miller scored over 1,000 points at Edison High in her hometown, leading the Eagles to back-to-back Class 5 Virginia state championships games
  • Freshman Yonta Vaughn is from District Heights, Maryland, 15 miles from American’s campus. She was the four-year starting point guard at national powerhouse Bishop McNamara
  • Additionally, Baltimore native junior guard/forward Mir McLean is playing 45 miles from home. She was the Gatorade Maryland State Player of the Year in 2020
  • Coach Mox grew up in Herndon and attended Oakton High in Vienna
  • She was an All-Met and All-Virginia selection in her senior season, as well as a Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year finalist. She was also MVP of the Northern Region and took her team to the state championship game her senior year season. Additionally, Agugua participated in the Northern Region and Virginia State All-Star games

VIRGINIA NOTES

  • Virginia (4-0, 1-0 ACC) is off to a 4-0 start to the season for the first time since 2016-17 and opened conference play with a win for the first time since 2017-18. They are looking for their first 5-0 start since 2015-16
  • The Cavaliers have trailed by six or more points in three of their four games this season. They trailed by eight in the third quarter at Loyola on Wednesday and were down one at the start of the fourth quarter before building up a nine-point lead with 2:12 remaining and holding on for the 68-62 victory
  • The Cavaliers opened the season with an 85-59 victory against George Washington. Virginia trailed by six with 9:18 left in the third quarter but outscored the Colonials 31-9 in the fourth. Wake Forest had a six-point lead in the first quarter and lead 14-12 at the end of the frame. UVA outscored the Demon Deacons 45-22 in the second and third quarters to pull away
  • All five of Virginia’s starters are averaging double figures
  • With Alexia Smith’s 10-point performance at Loyola, nine of Virginia’s 11 players have now scored in double figures in a game this season
  • Senior forward Camryn Taylor has scored in double figures in all four games, including a 22-point performance in the opener against George Washington
  • Freshman point guard Yonta Vaughn has started her career with a 2.00 assist-to-turnover ratio. The Cavaliers, as a team, have a 1.39 assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking fourth in the ACC and 36th in the nation
  • Grad student forward Samantha Brunelle is shooting 50.0 percent, going 21 of 42 from the field this season
  • Virginia is averaging 48.8 rebounds per game, ranking 18th in the nation. Its rebounding margin of plus-14.5 ranks 25th. Both are fourth in the ACC
  • The Cavaliers are averaging 45.5 points in the paint per game

SCOUTING AMERICAN

  • Tiffany Coll is in her first season as the Eagles’ head coach. This will be the third-straight game that first-year head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton will face another first-year head coach
  • Coll has been with the program for nine years and was promoted from associate head coach after Megan Gebbia took the head coaching job at Wake Forest
  • American (0-2, 0-0 Patriot) is the reigning Patriot League champion and has made three trips to the NCAA Tournament in the last seven years
  • Molly Lavin leads the team with a 12.0 points per game. Emily Johns is averaging 10.5 per game
  • Ivy Bales leads the defense with 6.0 rebounds per game
  • Virginia is 4-2 all-time against American
  • Last year, the Eagles won 69-56 at John Paul Jones Arena. The Eagles made 10 three-pointers (10 of 17) en route to the victory

ON THE HORIZON

  • Virginia plays three home games Thanksgiving Week, beginning with a game against Campbell on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
  • Virginia hosts the Cavalier Classic tournament Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 26-27), facing Minnesota and East Carolina. UVA plays at 2 p.m. both days with Liberty anchoring 5 p.m. games on both days