Virginia Squanders 10-Point Lead in 63-53 Loss to Louisville

With injuries to Mir McLean and Sam Brunelle and with Carole Miller not dressing for the game, the Virginia women's basketball team faced a significant challenge as the Cavaliers tried to snap a six-game losing streak on Thursday night against Louisville, a team that went to the Final Four in 2022. UVA's depth problem became even more severe in the second half of the game after leading scorers Camryn Taylor and London Clarkson fouled out, leaving Virginia without its entire frontcourt.

Still, the Cavaliers played a fantastic first half of basketball and had the Cardinals against the ropes, leading by as many as 10 points in the third quarter. But eventually, Virginia ran out of steam allowing Louisville to take over the game and come away with a 63-53 victory over UVA on Thursday night at John Paul Jones Arena.

Virginia got off to a hot start against the Cardinals with a 7-0 run. Yonta Vaughn hit a three-pointer to open the scoring. After the Cavaliers took a 12-4 lead, Louisville responded with a 9-0 run, as UVA went on a five and a half minute scoring drought. Camryn Taylor ended the drought with less than a minute to go in the first quarter with a jumper, and then made another one on the next possession to give her six first-quarter points. The Cavaliers led 16-15 after the opening period. 

Camryn Taylor and Alexia Smith were a two-woman wrecking crew early in the second quarter, with Camryn Taylor scoring six points and Alexia Smith scoring three. The Cavaliers forced four Cardinal turnovers in five minutes, helping them take a 25-19 lead.

In the second part of the quarter, it was Taylor Valladay and London Clarkson’s turns to contribute. Valladay drained a three-pointer and added two assists, giving her five points and five assists in the first half. London Clarkson scored the final six points for Virginia, including a layup with seven seconds remaining, off of a beautiful feed from Valladay. At halftime, UVA led 34-26 after outscoring Louisville 18-11 in the quarter.

The third quarter was sloppy for the Cavaliers and cost them a double-digit lead. Virginia had a seven-minute scoring drought with seven turnovers, allowing Louisville to go on a 12-0 run and take a 40-38 lead. The absence of Brunelle was especially noticeable here, as she has missed the last three games with a foot injury and is listed as day-to-day. 

After Louisville went in front for the first time in the game, the Cavaliers recovered in the final minutes with a layup from Camryn Taylor and a three pointer from McKenna Dale, so Virginia clung to a 43-41 lead after only scoring nine points in the quarter.

Louisville opened the fourth quarter with a 5-0 run to take a 46-43 lead. Virginia struggled as key players were in foul trouble, but Kaydan Lawson stepped up with a three-pointer to bring the Cavaliers within two points. 

London Clarkson fouled out with just under six minutes remaining, and Camryn Taylor fouled out with three and a half minutes left and the Cavaliers trailing 52-50. That left McKenna Dale as the tallest player on the court, while the Hoos were already struggling to rebound out of the 2-3 zone.

With two minutes left, Hailey Van Lith converted a three-point play on a fast break when Yonta Vaughn jumped up in the air and put herself in a poor defensive position. After a miss on offense, and two more Louisville free throws, the Cavaliers trailed 57-50 with 1:19 remaining. 

Kaydan Lawson went 1/2 from the line, and then Chrislyn Carr made the dagger for Louisville, draining a three-pointer to give her team a nine-point lead with less than a minute left. The final score was 63-53, after Louisville outscored Virginia 22-10 in the fourth quarter and 37-19 in the second half.

Camryn Taylor had 14 points to lead the Cavaliers, and Taylor Valladay had 11 points on 5/10 shooting, six assists, and only one turnover as a bright spot for the Cavaliers.

Hailey Van Lith had 17 points and five assists for Louisville, and Chrislyn Carr had 14.

The Cavaliers fell to 14-11 on the season and 3-11 in the ACC with their seventh straight conference loss. The Cavaliers will face No. 22 NC State on Sunday at 12pm at John Paul Jones Arena, continuing the brutal stretch of ACC play. 

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