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Monday, Jan. 17 7:30pm ET
Virginia extends win streak to nine | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Renee Robinson knew North Carolina State (No. 5 ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 6 AP) was headed for its second straight loss. She scored 19 points, including four free throws down the stretch, and Svetlana Volnaya added 18 to help Virginia beat the Wolfpack 80-73 Monday night and win its ninth in a row.
"I just knew we were going to win this game when we walked on the floor and it's not disrespect to their team. But I just felt it when we walked in," Robinson said. "We have been on a winning streak, and I want to keep it going." Telisha Quarles scored a career-high 21 points to lead Virginia (13-4, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). The Wolfpack (14-2, 5-2) dropped three places in The Associated Press Top 25 poll Monday following its first loss, 71-56 to Clemson on Thursday. That loss snapped a 14-game winning streak. Summer Erb scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Kaayla Chones added 18 for N.C State. "Obviously, Kaayla and Summer played very hard from start to finish on both ends of the floor. However, as a team I felt as though we were very tentative in the first half," said N.C. State coach Kay Yow. "I felt like the loss at Clemson gave us that mindset when we entered the game. We seemed to be much more cautious." The Wolfpack, losing by as much as 21 after halftime, went on a 9-2 run keyed by Tynesha Lewis' first 3-pointer and five points by Terah James, trimming Virginia's lead to 70-66 with 3:57 remaining. The Cavaliers pushed the lead back to 77-68 with Volnaya's 3-pointer and two free throws by Robinson with 1:29 left. Robinson made two more foul shots with 25.9 seconds left. "We have played some pretty good games, but this is the best. There is no question about that," Ryan said. "We have players that hit huge shots down the stretch. This is not something that was a surprise." Quarles came out strong for Virginia in the first half with 14 points and hit 4-of-4 3-pointers. Her third basket from behind the arc with 15:08 left put the Cavaliers ahead 13-12. Robinson's 3-pointer with 11:57 to go in the first half gave Virginia a 21-16 lead, which the Cavaliers did not relinquish. Virginia closed the final 8:09 of the first half with a 15-8 run during which N.C. State was held scoreless for a four-minute span. Elena Kravchenko's basket put the Cavaliers up 30-22. James hit a jumper with 3:27 to cut Virginia's lead to 35-27, but Kravchenko answered with a lay-in and Volnaya made a fast-break lay-up to increase the Cavaliers' lead to 39-27. Erb, who had 10 points in the first half, didn't during a seven-minute stretch of the half as the Cavaliers built their lead. Lewis, N.C. State's leading scorer with an average 13.5 points a game, missed all eight shots she tried from the floor and made only two points off free throws in the first half. Virginia is the only ACC team that leads in its series against N.C. State, 26-23. | ALSO SEE Womens College Basketball Scoreboard North Carolina State Clubhouse
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