Cavs pull away in 2nd half

In College Park, Md., Monica Wright did everything in her power to make sure that her college career included a victory at the Comcast Center.

That became a lot easier after the senior scored Virginia’s first 12 points of the second half en route a rather easy 82-68 win over Maryland on Monday.

“It definitely felt like I was in a zone,” said Wright, who finished 11 for 20 from the field. “I couldn’t hear anything, not the crowd, just the ball going through the basket. It was great.”

In all, Wright torched Maryland for 34 points as the Cavaliers registered their first road win against the Terrapins since 2003. It marked the fifth time this season that Wright surpassed the 30-point plateau.

“It was a win that I really wanted,” said Wright, one of several Virginia players that grew up in Northern Virginia near Maryland. “It was also good for Paulisha [Kellum] and others to get that first win up here.”

It was a pivotal decision for the Cavaliers, who have now won six of their past seven games and sit at 17-6 overall and 6-3 in the ACC. Virginia now resides in sole possession of third place.

After shooting 35.5 percent from the field in the opening half, Virginia was left trailing 35-32 entering halftime.

The Terps (17-7, 3-6) added to their advantage to open the second half as Tianna Hawkins nailed a quick jumper and a free throw was added.

That’s when Wright was purely magical.

The All-American hit four straight baskets from the field, including a pair of old-fashioned three-point plays to put the Cavaliers 44-40.

Ariana Moorer, a sophomore, added the icing to the cake out of the locker room as she nailed a 3-pointer with 15:04 left from the top of the key.

Maryland, a one-point winner in the first meeting on Jan. 11, was never able to recover.

The Terps shot well from the field in the second half, making half of their 26 attempts, but 21 turnovers in the contest led to 22 points for Virginia.

Wright was joined in double figures by Chelsea Shine (10 points) and Moorer (10).

Maryland got a team-best 18 points from Hawkins.

The Cavaliers planned to return home Monday night and expect to leave Wednesday for Thursday night’s road game at Miami. The contest starts at 7 p.m.