1990–91 Virginia Cavaliers women's basketball team

Intercollegiate basketball season March 2026 January 2025 Women's Basketball 1990–91 Virginia Cavaliers Virginia Athletics wordmark.svg 250 Atlantic Coast Conference ACC 2 2 31–3 14–0 Debbie Ryan 14th Frank DiLeo Shawn Campbell Melissa Wiggins University Hall ACC regular season champion NCAA tournament Runner-up 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 w 1990 Virginia Cavaliers y y w Dena Evans 10 G 5 5 So Deer Park, TX w Tina Toney 15 G 5 8 Sr Jacksonville, FL w Tekshia Ward 20 F 6 1 Sr College Park, GA w Melanee Wagener 21 FC 6 2 Jr Mount Airy, MD w Tonya Cardoza y 23 F 5 10 Sr Roxbury, MA C w Dawn Staley y 24 G 5 6 Jr Philadelphia, PA Dobbins Tech w Heather Burge y 30 C 6 5 So Palos Verdes Estates, CA Palos Verdes w Tammi Reiss y 32 G 5 6 Jr Eldred, NY Eldred Central School w Wendy Toussaint 33 F 5 11 Fr Irvington, NJ Palos Verdes w Heidi Burge y 34 C 6 5 So Palos Verdes Estates, CA w Allison Moore 44 F 6 1 So Virginia Beach, VA w Felicia Santelli 52 F 6 0 Jr Scarsdale, NY w Audra Smith 54 FC 6 2 Jr Milledgeville, GA Debbie Ryan (Ursinus) https://virginiasports.com/sports/wbball/roster/season/1990-91/ Schedule Source:https://virginiasports.com/sports/wbball/schedule/season/1990-91/ 1990-91 Women's Basketball Schedule The University of Virginia virginiasports.com November 21, 2023 1990-91 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings 1990 YES yes yes |- !colspan=6 style=Virginia Cavaliers| Regular season Nov 28, 1990 yes 1 1990 women Virginia Tech Hokies Virginia Tech University Hall Charlottesville, Virginia 93–44 2–0 Jan 3, 1991 yes 1 1990 none Penn State Lady Lions Penn State 4 University Hall Charlottesville, Virginia 71–73 11–1 Jan 12, 1991 yes 2 1990 women NC State Wolfpack NC State 3 Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, North Carolina 123–120 3OT 14–1 3–0 February 23, 1991 1 NC State 7 University Hall Charlottesville, Virginia 95–78 26–1 14–0 |- !colspan=6 style=Virginia Cavaliers| ACC tournament March 2, 1991 yes yes 1 North Carolina Civic Center Fayetteville, North Carolina Quarterfinals 90–69 27–1 March 3, 1991 yes yes 1 Clemson Civic Center Fayetteville, North Carolina Semifinals 62–65Top-Ranked Virginia Ousted by Clemson https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1991/03/04/top-ranked-virginia-ousted-by-clemson/3acbec33-ae5f-48bc-ae10-65501ff23e99/ The Washington Post March 3, 1991 February 19, 2024 27–2 |- !colspan=6 style=Virginia Cavaliers| NCAA tournament March 17, 1991 yes yes 2 1990 none Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks Stephen F. Austin 14 University Hall Charlottesville, Virginia Second round 74–71 28–2 March 21, 1991 yes yes 2 1990 none Oklahoma State Cowgirls Oklahoma State 25 Frank Erwin Center Austin, Texas Midwest Regional Semifinal Sweet Sixteen 76–61 29–2 March 23, 1991 yes yes 2 Lamar 24 Frank Erwin Center Austin, Texas Midwest Regional Final Elite Eight 85–70 5,259 30–2 March 30, 1991 yes yes 2 UConn 13 Lakefront Arena New Orleans, Louisiana National Semifinal Final Four 61–55Virginia Advances to Women's Final https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1991/03/31/virginia-advances-to-womens-final/210cf3c8-f29e-4e2f-aedd-5ebdf708d546/ The Washington Post March 31, 1991 February 19, 2024 31–2 March 31, 1991 yes yes 2 Tennessee 4 Lakefront Arena New Orleans, Louisiana National Championship 67–70 OTVirginia Loses Women's Final in Overtime https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1991/04/01/virginia-loses-womens-final-in-overtime/633b7e92-71cd-4c9c-8c5a-4238c5a0c4a9/ The Washington Post April 1, 1991 February 19, 2024 31–3 AP Poll Eastern Rankings 1990–91 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings AP 0 16 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 Coaches 0 17 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 2 Awards and honors Dawn Staley ACC Player of the Year, Naismith College Player of the Year, USBWA Player of the Year, WBCA Player of the Year, Honda Sports Award Debbie Ryan ACC Coach of the Year, Naismith College Coach of the Year References Category:Virginia Cavaliers women's basketball seasons Virginia Virginia Virginia Virginia Category:NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament Final Four seasons