Halfway into the second quarter, the game already seemed lost. Already 20 points behind and unable to match the seemingly endless three-point shots from No. 18 Georgia Tech, Virginia floundered on the court. But, like waking up from a dream, the Cavaliers (11-9, 3-5 ACC) began to pick up speed and cut down the deficit against the Yellow Jackets’ (17-3, 5-3 ACC) to keep some skin in the game Thursday at John Paul Jones Arena. Virginia was not going to surrender easily.
In the second half, the Cavaliers played like their lives depended on it. If they wanted to see a victory, they needed to make some major changes. This started with sophomore guard Kymora Johnson pulling up to shoot more, and senior forward Latasha Lattimore getting Georgia Tech to draw fouls during her rebounds so she could have some time at the free throw line. Finally, freshman guard Breona Hurd and sophomore guard Olivia McGhee took the court by storm with strong shooting that coalesced in the second half.
Before Georgia Tech could even register it, its once 20-point lead was cut down to a three-play game with plenty of time left in the third quarter. After a riveting back-and-forth during the rest of the second half, there were only two points standing between the Cavaliers and Yellow Jackets with three minutes left. And just like the first quarter, Georgia Tech built a lead in the blink of an eye — with not enough time to close it, Virginia lost 75-62 in a devastating final set of plays.
“We didn't control the things we could control,” Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton said.
The Cavaliers were at their best in the second half — they were energized yet calm, aggressive yet tactical. After having a relatively easy first half, the Yellow Jackets were desperate to build back their lead, and their shots were frenzied.
They tried again and again to connect on a three-point shot, but it was not working like it did in the first half. On the other side, freshman guard Breona Hurd was just getting started. A three-point shot from Hurd electrified the crowd as she got into the double digits for points scored. But she does not see her hard work paying off as self-insured success.
“I feel like my team is pushing me to be more confident,” Hurd said. “...Coach [Agugua-Hamilton] is…instilling confidence, like…just be a player.”
Lattimore had a well-earned double-double in the fourth quarter, and Johnson once again scored more than 20 points like it was nothing.
Notably, the scoring was much more even among the Cavaliers tonight. It was not all on Johnson or Lattimore to score half of the points anymore, as many of the players carried the same offensive weight.
The first half, though, truly looked dire.
Johnson struggled to get into her usual rhythm, not even scoring the entire first quarter. While it initially looked like she was trying to give her teammates attempts to shoot and execute offensive plays, it was not enough to keep up. The issues plaguing her, though, were not mental obstacles but instead a physical injury.
“Mo, she really fought today,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “...She injured her neck, and…she pushed through for her team. And I thought…she really fought, especially because she wasn't supposed to play today.”
To aid Johnson in recovering from her injury, an exciting duo had initially stepped up to the plate and given Virginia the offensive support it needed in the first period.
McGhee sprinted into motion, lunging to grab the ball before it could result in a Georgia Tech turnover. Successfully intercepting and maintaining her momentum, McGhee turned to lob it over the opponents’ heads to where sophomore guard Paris Clark was waiting, and Clark scored a layup with ease.
This play, though, was only a glimmer of hope and did not grow into strong offensive tactics that the Cavaliers could maintain. They simply could not match the numerous attacks that the Yellow Jackets executed — specifically, the ones involving Georgia Tech’s freshman guard Dani Carnegie. Carnegie was leading the Yellow Jackets with 12 points that came entirely from three-point shots — an area that Virginia has been struggling in for most of the season.
The Cavaliers tried to shut her down on defense, but it was ineffective. Even with the crowd taunting her after a missed three-point shot that turned into an airball, Carnegie was unfazed and continued to pull up to shoot outside of the paint. Agugua-Hamilton just attributed Carnegie’s skills to the fact that Georgia Tech is a good team, but there is more that Virginia can do to hold their own against ranked teams.
“Georgia Tech, credit to them, they’re a great team,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “...But when you’re playing great teams, you can’t play two quarters out of the four…but we’ll fix it, you know? We’ll get back to work.”
In the hopes of building more conference strength, Virginia will remain home for the next game, hosting Louisville Sunday 2 p.m. to honor National Girls & Women in Sports Day. The Cavaliers will get another chance to gain some ground in the conference standings, as January will soon give way to February — and, if all goes well, postseason basketball.
Read More
How a reinvention turned Andrew Rohde into men’s basketball’s most reliable player
By Thomas Baxter | 18 hours agoThe guard has become one of Virginia's primary threats.
Bottom-of-conference win over Boston College ends men’s basketball’s losing streak
By Thomas Baxter | 2 days agoVirginia snapped a drab five-game skid.
