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Virginia Pulls Away Late to Top Women's Basketball in Season Opener
11/5/2019 10:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Bucknell women's basketball had its chances in the season-opening game at Virginia, forcing 15 turnovers and putting three in double-figures. However, the Cavaliers came away with an 84-60 win in the first game of the Trevor Woodruff era.
The final score was not quite indicative of the game as a whole, as the Bison remained within 10 for much of the contest. The game was neck-and-neck during the third quarter, where Virginia scored 16 points to Bucknell's 15, but things got away from the Bison late when the Cavaliers tacked on 31 fourth quarter points.
Five of the 15 turnovers Bucknell forced were in the first quarter, and a Taylor O'Brien 3-pointer at the buzzer kept the Bison within four heading into the second. Bucknell went on to add three more triples in the second quarter and forced four more turnovers, but a 7-for-12 shooting effort by Virginia put the deficit at 11 going into the locker rooms. The 20-9 rebound advantage for Virginia also led to the first half result.
Junior Ally Johnson began to heat up in the second half, scoring 10 of her 13 points with a pair of field goals and a perfect 6-for-6 effort at the line. Four times in the third the Bison cut into the double-digit lead, and O'Brien hit a three with 4:11 left in the quarter to get within eight.
Virginia entered the final quarter leading by 12, but an Ellie Mack 3-pointer brought Bucknell within nine. It was as close as the Bison would get in the final 10 minutes before Virginia's Jocelyn Willoughby put up 11 of the Cavalier's 31 fourth quarter points.
Mack ended the night with 19 points, five rebounds, and a block while shooting over 50 percent. O'Brien scored 13 off the bench on 5-of-9 shooting and added a steal, matching Johnson's totals. Willoughby's 31 points led the Cavaliers, and she was followed by 16 from Lisa Jablonowski.
"I think the tape will tell us a lot. Obviously, some good things and an equal number, if not more, that we need to cleanup," said Woodruff. "It's difficult to tell how much of it was more execution on our part, or just superior athleticism on their part. It's probably a mixture of both."
The Cavaliers wound up with 38 rebounds compared to 19 from the Bison and added eight points on fast breaks.
"I'm looking forward to getting into the film and getting back to practice. I think we have a good group that's willing to work, and they're open to coaching. So, this is going to be a good jumping off point moving forward," Woodruff added.
The Bison will be back in action this weekend when they host Monmouth at Sojka Pavilion. Bucknell defeated the Hawks 70-32 on the road last season. The game is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 9 at 6 p.m.
