Virginia women’s basketball took down La Salle at home Sunday, dominating 76-47 in what was a strong performance all around from the Cavaliers (3-1, 0-0 ACC). Virginia’s defense gave the Explorers (1-3, 0-0 Atlantic 10) trouble offensively, particularly inside the paint — while the Cavaliers saw strong offensive contributions from a handful of players.
Notably, sophomore guard Kymora Johnson led all scorers with 20 points. A solid offensive showing was an all-out team effort, however, as four other players notched double-digit points — sophomore guard Olivia McGhee also stepped up, notching a season-high 14 points. This is McGhee’s third time in four games notching double figures in the early goings of her sophomore campaign.
“This year, I’ve just been more comfortable overall,” McGhee said. “I was in a bit of a shooting slump [before], but I’ve been working hard in practices, and my teammates and coaches instilled confidence in me. I knew it was going to click at some point, it was just a matter of time.”
This collaboration between teammates that McGhee mentioned was dazzlingly apparent in the Virginia matchup against La Salle. Senior forward Latasha Lattimore dominated — scoring 12 points with 12 rebounds. Alongside her, freshman guard Breona Hurd and junior guard Yonta Vaughn both racked up 10 points apiece. As the season develops, getting quality contributions from a variety of Cavaliers is essential.
“[The players are] understanding the system and understanding each other,” Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton said. “So as long as we continue to grow our camaraderie and our synergy, I think we’re going to see four or five people with double figures every game.”
This aforementioned offensive synergy among players seemed to not click fully for Virginia until the second half. Defensive pressure from the Explorers contributed to a frenetic start to the opening quarter, as both teams struggled offensively, and play was scrappy. Virginia had 10 turnovers in the first half, a testament to La Salle’s rigorous defense.
Entering the second half of the game, Agugua-Hamilton centered her focus on the Cavaliers’ defense. The team experimented with full-court pressure in the third quarter, a strategy that has recently been paying off for Virginia. As a result, the Cavaliers extended their lead to 20 points.
“Every game that we [apply full-court pressure], we’ve had great results from it,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “And I like it. I mean, I think we’re versatile … and I think we can just speed up the game that way.”
As the Explorers’ offense continued to be shut down, the Cavaliers saw success on their end offensively. Johnson scored 10 points in about six minutes, including two three-point shots, while Lattimore, Vaughn, McGhee and Hurd also continued racking up points. Graduate guard Casey Valenti-Paea also made two free throws — her first points since the first quarter.
Thanks to these efforts, Virginia entered the final quarter up 55-37. They eased up slightly on the defensive end, offering less full-court pressure against La Salle, but certainly did not slow down on the scoring end — the last three minutes of the game only featured points from the Cavaliers. Eight of these 11 points were scored by Lattimore.
Lattimore’s strong finish brought Virginia to its third victory of the season, part of a nine-game series of non-conference play that Agugua-Hamilton said is helping the team prepare for ACC play. The Explorers certainly challenged the Cavaliers in pressuring them defensively and working to slow down Virginia’s play, but future ACC opponents will no doubt hand the Cavaliers even more challenging matchups.
“Consistency is the biggest thing right now,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “We’re just trying to be consistent and play together, learn each other a little more, and make sure we’re clicking on both sides of the ball. Each game, I think we’re growing in that area and we just have to continue to get better. I think these games will prepare us for conference play for sure.”
Up next, Virginia will remain home at John Paul Jones Arena and host Alabama State Wednesday. The game will begin at 7 p.m. and can be streamed on ACCNX.
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