1990–91 Virginia Cavaliers women's basketball team

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1990–91 Virginia Cavaliers women's basketball
ACC regular season champion
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 2
APNo. 2
Record31–3 (14–0 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Frank DiLeo
  • Shawn Campbell
  • Melissa Wiggins
Home arenaUniversity Hall
Seasons
1990–91 ACC women's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 2 Virginia 14 – 0   1.000 31 – 3   .912
No. 7 NC State † 9 – 5   .643 27 – 6   .818
Maryland 9 – 5   .643 17 – 13   .567
No. 21 Clemson 8 – 6   .571 22 – 11   .667
Duke 6 – 8   .429 16 – 12   .571
Wake Forest 5 – 9   .357 15 – 13   .536
Georgia Tech 3 – 11   .214 15 – 13   .536
North Carolina 2 – 12   .143 12 – 16   .429
† 1991 ACC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 1990–91 Virginia Cavaliers women's basketball team represented the University of Virginia during the 1990–91 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Cavaliers were led by 14th-year head coach Debbie Ryan, and played their home games at University Hall in Charlottesville, Virginia as members the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In contrast to the prior season when the Cavaliers reached the Final Four, this Virginia squad was considered one of the favorites to win the National championship. The Lady Cavs opened play as the No. 1 ranked team and only occupied that spot or the No. 2 spot for the entirety of the season. They swept through ACC play at 14–0, but lost in the semifinals of the ACC tournament to Clemson. Despite the loss, UVA received the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region of the NCAA tournament. Virginia defeated Stephen F. Austin, Oklahoma State, and Lamar to make a return trip to the Final Four. A victory over UConn in the National semifinals set up a matchup with Tennessee in the National championship game. The Lady Vols, led by legendary head coach Pat Summitt defeated Virginia, 70–67, to capture the title. The Cavaliers finished the season with a record of 31–3.

Junior Dawn Staley established the single-season school record for assists with 235. Staley was consensus National Player of the Year and is the only player to be named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA tournament when her team did not win the championship.

Roster[edit]

1990–91 Virginia Cavaliers women's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown
G 10 Dena Evans 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) So   Deer Park, TX
G 15 Tina Toney 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Sr   Jacksonville, FL
F 20 Tekshia Ward 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Sr   College Park, GA
F/C 21 Melanee Wagener 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Jr   Mount Airy, MD
F 23 Tonya Cardoza (C) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Sr   Roxbury, MA
G 24 Dawn Staley 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) Jr Dobbins Tech Philadelphia, PA
C 30 Heather Burge 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) So Palos Verdes Palos Verdes Estates, CA
G 32 Tammi Reiss 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) Jr Eldred Central School Eldred, NY
F 33 Wendy Toussaint 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) Fr Palos Verdes Irvington, NJ
C 34 Heidi Burge 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) So   Palos Verdes Estates, CA
F 44 Allison Moore 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) So   Virginia Beach, VA
F 52 Felicia Santelli 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Jr   Scarsdale, NY
F/C 54 Audra Smith 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Jr   Milledgeville, GA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule[edit]

Source:[1]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Nov 28, 1990*
 No. 1 Virginia Tech W 93–44  2–0
 University Hall 
Charlottesville, Virginia
Jan 3, 1991*
 No. 1 No. 4 Penn State L 71–73  11–1
 University Hall 
Charlottesville, Virginia
Jan 12, 1991
 No. 2 at No. 3 NC State W 123–120 3OT 14–1
(3–0) 		Reynolds Coliseum 
Raleigh, North Carolina
February 23, 1991
 No. 1 No. 7 NC State W 95–78  26–1
(14–0) 		University Hall 
Charlottesville, Virginia
ACC tournament
March 2, 1991*
 No. 1 vs. North Carolina
Quarterfinals 		W 90–69  27–1
 Civic Center 
Fayetteville, North Carolina
March 3, 1991*
 No. 1 vs. Clemson
Semifinals 		L 62–65[2]  27–2
 Civic Center 
Fayetteville, North Carolina
NCAA tournament
March 17, 1991*
 No. 2 vs. No. 14 Stephen F. Austin
Second round 		W 74–71  28–2
 University Hall 
Charlottesville, Virginia
March 21, 1991*
 No. 2 vs. No. 25 Oklahoma State
Midwest Regional Semifinal – Sweet Sixteen 		W 76–61  29–2
 Frank Erwin Center 
Austin, Texas
March 23, 1991*
 No. 2 vs. No. 24 Lamar
Midwest Regional Final – Elite Eight 		W 85–70  30–2
 Frank Erwin Center (5,259)
Austin, Texas
March 30, 1991*
 No. 2 vs. No. 13 UConn
National Semifinal – Final Four 		W 61–55[3]  31–2
 Lakefront Arena 
New Orleans, Louisiana
March 31, 1991*
 No. 2 vs. No. 4 Tennessee
National Championship 		L 67–70 OT[4] 31–3
 Lakefront Arena 
New Orleans, Louisiana
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Rankings[edit]

Main article: 1990–91 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516Final
AP11111112111111122Not released
Coaches111111121111111322

Awards and honors[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "1990-91 Women's Basketball Schedule". virginiasports.com. The University of Virginia. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  2. ^ "Top-Ranked Virginia Ousted by Clemson". The Washington Post. March 3, 1991. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  3. ^ "Virginia Advances to Women's Final". The Washington Post. March 31, 1991. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  4. ^ "Virginia Loses Women's Final in Overtime". The Washington Post. April 1, 1991. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
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