The Cavaliers led by 12 points, but failed to close against the Tigers
At the national girls' and women's at Game Day, the Virginia women's basketball team (3–17, 0–10 acc) nearly earned their first conference win against the Clemson Tigers (8–15, 2–10 acc). The Cavaliers took a massive 12-point lead and a lead of five in the fourth quarter, but were unable to close it and the Tigers fell 59-55 at the John Paul Jones Arena on Sunday evening.
At the start of the game, Clemson started 3/3 off the ground, but then followed with a 0/14 drought that lasted seven minutes. Virginia took advantage of the opportunity to take a 13-0 lead and take a 15-8 lead. However, the Cavaliers' eight early turnovers kept the team from progressing, so it was only 15–12 after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, McKenna Dale and Taylor Valade hit fours for the Cavaliers and Amandine Toei made a layoff to take the lead 28-18. Elih Parker managed seven points and nine rebounds in the first half as a spark for UVA.
The Cavaliers had nine offensive rebounds in the first half and only two turnovers in the second quarter to help them beat the Tigers 18-12. By half, Virginia led 33-24.
UVA maintained most of its lead during the third quarter, as the teams fought back and forth. Vallade and Toei's layups put Virginia up 42–30, but Clemson scored 9–1 to take a 43–39 lead in the final period.
Finally, in the fourth quarter, Clemson completed its comeback and took the lead for the first time since the first quarter. Delicia Washington took over for the Tigers and scored 15 points in the fourth quarter alone after struggling earlier in the game. Washington was 4/5 off the field in the fourth quarter and 3/10 in the other three quarters. He led his team to lead UVA 20-12 in the fourth quarter.
The last minutes were full of drama. Clemson took a 50–49 lead with three minutes to go, and then took a 53–50 lead with 90 seconds remaining. The Cavaliers had two turnovers and a blocked shot to cut them down the stretch. London Clarkson gave the Cavaliers a second chance with five seconds remaining to pull the Cavaliers to within two, but Delicia Washington cooled the game with two free throws and Clemson won 59–55.
Delicia Washington had 23 points for Clemson and Meir McLean and Amandine Toei had 11 points for Virginia.
The Foul Trouble hit the Cavaliers as both Amandine Toei and Kayden Lawson fouled. Furthermore, UVA was only 9/26 from the free throw line while Clemson was 13/17. Virginia's 35% free throw shooting left the door open, and Clemson was able to come back and win.
Against the Clemson team, which had only one ACC victory coming in, it was a golden opportunity for the Cavaliers to score their first ACC win in nearly two years. Instead, Hoos let the game slip through his fingers and did not win ACC play this season.
With the loss, Virginia was reduced to 3–17 on aggregate and 0–10 in the ACC. Next, UVA hosts Syracuse on Tuesdays at 6 p.m.