Photo Gallery

Post Game Interview

Virginia Highlights

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA—Virginia exploded for 44 second-half points and had four players score in double-figures in topping visiting NJIT 81-54 Saturday night in UVA's John Paul Jones Arena.

The Cavaliers, who own one of the richest traditions in women's college basketball and raised their season won-lost record to 6-3, were paced by Aliyah Huland El, who came off the Virginia bench to score 17 points in 23 minutes against the Highlanders (2-5).

However, game scoring honors went to NJIT's redshirt freshman Kelly Guarino, who scored a career-best 24 points after connecting on 7 of her 16 3-point field goal attempts and 8-for-17 from the floor overall against the team from the highly-regarded Atlantic Coast Conference.

Virginia, which has competed in 24 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship tournaments and has won 44 national postseason games over the years, got its strongest perfomances Saturday from two sophomores. Huland El, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, shot 7-for-10 from the field, including 3-for-5 from 3-point range, while also grabbing 6 rebounds and dishing out 4 assists.

Sophomore forward Lauren Moses combined for a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while senior Faith Randolph and sophomore Mikayla Venson scored 12 points apiece.  The 11 rebounds by Moses were game-high, as the Cavaliers outrebounded the Highlanders 39-to-29 on the glass.

Guarino, the NJIT redshirt freshman Kelly Guarino made four of her team-leading seven 3-point baskets in the first half on her way to netting her career-high 24 points.  The seven 3-point baskets against Virginia tied Guarino's seven 3-pointers against small-college foe College of St. Joseph's (VT) on November 28, where she finished with 21 points. The total of 7 3-point baskets in each of the last two games is just two short of the Highlander program of 9 3-pointers in a game, set in January 2011 by Rayven Johnson (Class of 2013)

Guarino, who sustained three torn anterior cruciate ligament injuries while in high school, did not compete for NJIT in 2014-15, when, as a freshman, she spent the year rehabbing from her latest surgery. She continues to be a revelation for the young Highlanders, ranking first in the Atlantic Sun Conference, in 3-point field goals per game and tied for 14th nationally in that department.

Junior forward Camerin Spahn scored 11 points for NJIT, followed by classmate Leah Horton, who finished with 10 points and team-best 7 rebounds.  Point guard Alana Dudley dished out 5 assists.

Virginia started the game on a 7-3 run, but the Highlanders responded with four straight points by Horton, creating game's only tie, 7-7, at the 4:51 mark of the opening quarter.  The Cavaliers scored back-to-back 3-pointers to pull ahead 13-7 with 3:23 on the clock. 

NJIT's Olivia Dudley knocked down a jumper with 2:17 left in the quarter, cutting the Cavalier lead to 13-9.

The Cavaliers used a 9-4 closing run for a 22-13 advantage after one period.  NJIT's Guarino finished the quarter with a rare 4-point play with the shot clock winding down by sinking an off-balance three-pointer with a second remaining.

The Highlanders scored the first points of the second quarter and later trimmed the Cavalier lead to five, 27-22, on Bianca Picard's 3-pointer at the 4:40 mark.  Virginia responded with an 8-0 run that increased the Cavalier lead to 35-22, but the Highlanders closed out the final 1:19 of the second quarter on a 5-2 spurt, with all five points coming from Guarino, as NJIT trailed at the half, 37-27.

NJIT's Guarino and Virginia's Moses, with 12 points apiece, were the first-half scoring leaders.

NJIT slimmed the Cavalier lead to 39-30 on a 3-pointer by Guarino early in the third quarter, but that is the closest the Highlanders would get to the home team. 

The Highlanders will return to action on Wednesday at 7pm with a game at LIU Brooklyn.