CHARLOTTESVILLE—Debbie Ryan has seen this show before: talented young players, the ink on their high school diplomas barely dry, struggling to adjust to the physical and mental demands of women’s basketball at the major college level. Last year, those players were wearing Tennessee jerseys. Today they are wearing Virginia’s—and it showed as the Lady Vols, a year older, a year sturdier and a year wiser, thumped the callow Cavaliers 77-63 Sunday before a record women’s crowd (11,895) in John Paul Jones Arena.

Defeat? Yes. Indigestion? No. That was the bottom line for the University of Virginia women’s basketball team following a spectacularly successful Hot Dog Day promotion at John Paul Jones Arena. The No. 12-ranked Cavaliers, young, slender and perhaps a bit wide-eyed, absorbed a predictable 77-63 setback from the No. 6 Tennessee yesterday in front of a raucous crowd of 11,895—the largest, by far, ever to watch U.Va.‘s women play a home game.

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J.—D’Andra Moss scored 33 points and brought down 10 rebounds as VCU defeated Morgan State 75-68 in double overtime. Knotted up at 56 apiece, the game went into overtime. Still tied at 63 after the first overtime, it wasn’t until the second overtime that VCU outscored Morgan State 12-5 to claim the victory. La’Tavia Rorie added 11 points for the undefeated Rams. Corin Adams scored 22 points for Morgan State.

BLACKSBURG—Lindsay Biggs recorded 18 points, including five 3-pointers, to lead Virginia Tech to a 70-41 victory over George Mason last night. Utahya Drye registered a double-double for the Hokies, scoring 10 points and pulling down 10 boards. Nikki Davis and Abby Redick added seven points apiece. Ashleigh Braxton had 11 points and five rebounds for the Patriots, Brittany Eley added 10 points and three steals and Angelee LaTouche grabbed nine boards.

CHARLOTTESVILLE—Chelsea Shine had a career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds to lead No. 12 Virginia to a 110-63 victory over South Carolina Upstate last night. The sophomore forward, celebrating her 20th birthday, shot 10 for 13 from the field. Monica Wright and Simone Egwu added 19 points each to help the Cavaliers (3-0) to their highest scoring output in nine years.

BLACKSBURG Her chest heaved and her feet burned as she ran across the lumpy field. None of it felt perfect to Marika Gray. But on this July day in Alexandria, perfect didn’t matter, because Gray was playing soccer again, nine months after a left knee injury shortened her sophomore season at Virginia Tech. She had established herself as a legitimate ACC player, before her knee made her start over, back on the lumpy field at home, playing against 14-year-olds from her club’s younger team. The time away from soccer deteriorated her touch and fitness worse than she had imagined. A ball rolled her way and bounced off her shin. She could barely sprint without sucking wind.

Apparently there will be life after Quanitra Hollingsworth for the VCU women’s basketball program. The Rams, relying on balance rather than a skyscraper beneath the basket, received double-digit contributions from five players while thumping Virginia Tech, a visitor from the ACC, 72-58 in last night’s season opener at the Siegel Center.

Salome Kosgei required less than three hours to travel from chacteristically late to stunningly early. Kosgei, a 29-year-old Kenyan, won the women’s portion of yesterday’s SunTrust Richmond Marathon in 2:40:51, the fastest time in six years and the third-fastest in the event’s 32-year history. Her triumph, which occurred in her marathon debut, surprised, well, everyone.

CATONSVILLE, Md. - Virginia coach Debbie Ryan earned her 700th career victory last night, getting 15 second-half points from Monica Wright in a 68-57 win over Maryland-Baltimore County. Chelsea Shine added 12 points and seven rebounds for the Cavaliers, who have won five consecutive season openers. Whitny Edwards had 11 points. Junior Kara Powell scored 14 points and junior Brittani Shells scored 16 en route to an opening night victory over Western Carolina.

*—Active

CAA 25TH ANNIVERSARY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM PlayerSchoolYears playedNoteworthy
Meredith AlexisJames Madison2004-07Holds CAA record for career rebounds (1,313)
Mery AndradeOld Dominion1996-99CAA co-player of the year in 1999
Kristine AustgulenVCU2000-03Only VCU women’s player to have jersey retired
Sydney BeasleyJames Madison1987-1988Maryland transfer was two-time CAA player of year

The most fiercely combative player in Virginia Commonwealth University women’s basketball history, VCU’s lone WNBA first-round draft choice and the player who led the University of Richmond to its first NCAA tournament appearance have one thing in common today. All have been certified sterling by the Colonial Athletic Association. VCU standouts Kristine Austgulen and Quanitra Hollingsworth and Spiders icon Pam Bryant Jordan were among 25 players named yesterday by the CAA to its 25th anniversary women’s basketball team.

Think Gymboree and picture children in colorful clothing jumping, climbing, laughing, painting, blowing bubbles, dancing and learning. Think Yoga Studio and picture agile women and men in yoga classes with sculpted bodies contorted into amazing postures. Now think Joan Barnes. She is the San Francisco entrepreneur who founded both businesses and painstakingly built them into empires, large or small, and later sold them.

Player  School
  Amina AmaddahGeorge Mason
Meghan BishopWilliam and Mary
Janice BrownWilliam and Mary
Maria-Elena CalleVCU
Julia CathcartWilliam and Mary
Mollie DeFrancescoJames Madison
Cindy DunhamJames Madison
Bethany EigelJames Madison
Emily FuriaWilliam and Mary
Rachel HannahGeorgia State

Player  School
Sandra AngerVCU
Kim ArgyJames Madison
Laura BeemanOld Dominion
Dani CollinsWilliam and Mary
Ann CookWilliam and Mary
Jenn GrossGeorge Mason
Jen HenleyOld Dominion
Corky JulienJames Madison
Stephanie LoehrWilliam and Mary
Annie LowryJames Madison
Carrie MooreWilliam and Mary