Over the past few weeks, Virginia’s women’s basketball team has struggled to get things going — particularly on offense.
After disheartening losses to No. 22 Florida State and Virginia Tech, something was simply out of place for the Cavaliers (13-13, 5-9 ACC). Abysmal shooting percentages, an inability to find an offensive rhythm and even struggles on the defensive end of the ball left Virginia in a slump — with its hopes of reaching the ACC Tournament growing ever murkier.
But Sunday, as the Cavaliers traveled to Pittsburgh, whatever had been missing for Virginia finally fell into place.
The Cavaliers faced an even matchup in Pittsburgh, who is fighting for a spot in the ACC Tournament as the regular season winds down. Virginia, looking to move up in the ACC rankings, certainly had something to prove as well — and that is exactly what it did against the Panthers (11-16, 3-11 ACC). A dominant 80-67 win over Pittsburgh is a glimmer of hope for the Cavaliers after their two most recent disappointing ACC performances.
Senior forward Latasha Lattimore had a breakout day, scoring a career-high 30 points that completed yet another double-double for the standout player.
As per usual, alongside Lattimore, sophomore guard Kymora Johnson wreaked havoc on her opponents. Johnson recorded the first triple-double of her career, which also included a season-high 11 assists.
Johnson is now the second Cavalier in program history to record a triple-double, joining the great Dawn Staley.
Despite being without junior guard Paris Clark, who led the team last game with 16 points against Virginia Tech, the Cavaliers managed to find a level of synergy that has not been apparent in its most recent showings. In Clark’s absence, graduate guard Casey Valenti-Paea scored in double figures with a season-high 12 points.
Clearly, Virginia shined to its full potential Sunday — a promising sign as it enters its last four ACC matchups before the postseason tournament.
What also adds to the Cavaliers’ promising performance against the Panthers was its dominance in the second half of the game. Virginia’s season has been characterized by second-half disappointment, and it has certainly not been unfamiliar with ceding a lead late into the fourth quarter. This was not the case against Pittsburgh. 19 of Lattimore’s points came in the second half, and 13 of Johnson’s were also scored then.
Foul trouble for the Panthers also helped Virginia out on defense. Late into the fourth quarter, graduate center Khadija Faye fouled out after totaling nine of Pittsburgh’s 13 fourth quarter points. The Cavaliers took advantage of this, turning their focus to stopping sophomore guard Mikayla Johnson — another standout player for the Panthers — who put up 24 points. With Faye out and Johnson thwarted, Virginia extended their lead to even further, cruising its way to victory.
With more competitive ACC matchups on the horizon, record-breaking performances from two of the Cavaliers’ standout players is a crucial momentum boost before Virginia hosts Stanford next Sunday at home. The Cardinal (12-12, 4-9 ACC) sit just two spots below Virginia in the ACC standings.
A win against Stanford will be crucial for the Cavaliers before taking on No. 12 North Carolina in its regular season finale. A daunting end to the season lies ahead for Virginia, but its performance against Pittsburgh certainly proves what its offense is capable of.
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