Feb. 23, 2006
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Sophomore Janie Mitchell tied a career-high with 21 points, but it wasn’t enough as Virginia (16-11, 4-9 ACC) earned their first home ACC win of the season with a 57-51 victory over Georgia Tech (13-13, 2-11 ACC) Thursday night at University Hall.
Mitchell finished as the top scorer in the game, converting on 8-of-13 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line. Joining her in double-figures was Stephanie Higgs, who had 12 points while also recording six rebounds, four assists and two steals in the contest.
The Jackets outrebounded the home team, 39-38, with Kasha Terry pulling down a game-high 11 boards while Chioma Nnamaka tied a career-high with 10 rebounds. Terry also had three blocked shots in the game.
Leading by one point, the Cavaliers went on a 7-0 run with ten minutes left, including making three of their 11 second-half free-throws, to take a 53-45 lead in the game. Virginia converted on 21-of-31 from the charity stripe in the game, for the difference in the contest, as Tech made just eight of its 13 attempts.
The Yellow Jackets took their first lead of the game, 38-37, on a Terry layup at 15:17 after holding the Cavaliers without a field goal during that span, but the senior picked up her fourth foul on the ensuing Virginia possession, which began a 6-0 run for the home team.
Tech would pull within one point, 46-45, with 10:09 remaining in the game on a three-pointer by Mitchell, but the Virginia defense then held the Jackets off the scoreboard over the next six-and-a-half minutes before Mitchell hit a free throw at 3:33, making the score 53-46.
Despite a half-high 13 points by Mitchell, Virginia carried a 35-31 lead into the locker room at the end of the first frame. The Cavaliers made the first four field goals of the game and went on a 12-3 run to begin the game before the Jackets scored the next six points, pulling within 12-9 on a jumper by Mitchell at 14:15. Siedah Williams led Virginia with 10 points and five rebounds in the half.
The Yellow Jackets will continue from Charlottesville straight to Miami, where they will face the Hurricanes Sunday at 1 p.m. in a game that will be televised by the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Regional Sports Network, which includes FSN South, Comcast SportsNet, Sun Sports and the Northeast Sports Network. The game will also be broadcast on the Georgia Tech ISP Sports Radio Network, WREK-91.1 FM, and online at www.wrek.org, and livestats will be available at www.ramblinwreck.com.
