California entered the fourth quarter ahead by just one point. Neither team could get ahead — Virginia would lead by one point, just for the Golden Bears (22-6, 10-5 ACC) to tie it back up a few seconds later. Foul after foul gave both teams plenty of time at the free throw line, showing that this Thursday night match at John Paul Jones Arena was becoming a game to be determined by shooting accuracy.
A five-point cushion gave California some comfort, but the Cavaliers (13-14, 5-10 ACC) worked at taking it down. With a minute and a half left in the final period, Virginia needed to make a forceful push to take the lead. A layup by sophomore guard Kymora Johnson closed the gap to just three points, but a Golden Bears three-point shot grew the lead again with just 14 seconds left — unfortunately, there was not much to do with the little time left, and the Cavaliers fell 76-70.
“We kind of beat ourselves,” Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton said. “I think I called two time outs during that time because … we weren't just clicking, you know, we were just a little off.”
Just a couple of minutes into the third quarter, California had managed to close a five-point gap and tie up the game, taking the lead less than 30 seconds later. The lead grew to more than 10 points in a few minutes — but it was not the final quarter just yet. Little by little, Virginia began to cut down the double-digit gap.
Before anyone could blink, Johnson and Hurd were at the free throw line back-to-back with the Cavaliers just four points behind. In a moment of cool collectedness, and finalizing an amazing Virginia recovery, the pair made all of their free throws to tie up the game with a little less than two minutes still remaining in the quarter.
“We were able to … claw back into it [but] didn't, didn't execute down the stretch,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “…We had open looks, and we just didn't take the shot.”
From the start, California played aggressively. The Golden Bears pushed for rebounds and fought through the pack to make layups — with a player covering sophomore guard Kymora Johnson on both ends of the court. It took Virginia by surprise to say the least. In order for the Cavaliers to score, they had to push past the defense, even if it meant falling to the ground without a foul call.
Fortunately, the Cavaliers picked up the pace and held their own. With three and a half minutes left in the first period, they took the lead with a three-point shot by Johnson that also gave her 10 points for the game. With a back-to-back block by senior forward Latasha Lattimore shutting down the defense, Virginia held onto the lead until the end of the opening quarter.
On the other hand, California began to struggle. The team that has all five of its starting players average double figures per game had a low shooting accuracy of just 32 percent halfway through the second quarter and was struggling to pin Johnson down. On top of that, Lattimore was not stopping with her blocks — jumping up to slam down the ball before it could even get near the hoop.
But the game remained close. Both teams struggled to score during the second half until a technical foul by the Golden Bears gave the Cavaliers a couple more points from the free throw line. Spurred to give a final push before the first half ended, freshman forward Breona Hurd drove to the basket to score a layup — giving Virginia a 35-30 lead heading into the second half.
While the end of the first half showed promise, the final results left a bitter taste. Virginia struggled to finish out the fourth quarter, and became a team that has now lost more games than it has won this season.
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