Leaders lead. Or at least, they should. Virginia's definitely did Wednesday, as they stepped up to claim victory over Pittsburgh. For the Cavaliers (17-14, 8-10 ACC), their top four leaders in points per game dominated. With a 64-50 win over the Panthers (13-19, 5-13 ACC), Virginia kept its season alive.
The triumph is especially sweet, because winning at the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, N.C. has been quite difficult for the Cavaliers. They had not won a conference tournament bout since 2019. The most recent ACC Tournament loss in 2024 was especially frustrating. Virginia was upset by Wake Forest in the 2024 ACC Tournament after blowing a double-digit lead.
However, the stinging losses were not on Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton’s mind.
“We're trying to play for something right now,” Agugua-Hamilton said postgame. “Trying to get into postseason, play our way into the NCAA Tournament. We have big goals. Obviously take it one game at a time. [The 2024 loss to Wake Forest] wasn't in our head. It was understood.”
Undeterred by those earlier losses, sophomore guard Kymora Johnson captained the offense as per usual. Fresh off of being named First Team All-ACC Tuesday, she led all players with 17 points and seven assists. Johnson was Virginia’s rock — as she played in 39 of the game’s 40 minutes.
However, Virginia started slowly. They held a razor-thin 14-12 lead after the first quarter, and only three Cavaliers scored. After 10 minutes of play, Johnson and senior forward Latasha Lattimore — who had Virginia’s only negative plus-minus score — had yet to score.
Entering the second quarter, the Cavaliers needed to establish some momentum. Right on cue, they did just that — beginning the quarter with a 10-0 scoring run. That swift surge was fueled, in part, by freshman forward Breona Hurd.
Hurd did not start, but quickly usurped the playing time of sophomore forward Edessa Noyan. The latter struggled throughout the game, and ultimately fouled out. Noyan contributed just two points in 22 minutes of play. However, that did not hurt Virginia at all. Hurd saved some of her best basketball for the postseason — finishing with 15 points and seven rebounds.
Hurd and Johnson were the only Cavaliers to score in the second quarter. On the other end, junior guard Marley Washenitz had no problem carrying the load for Pittsburgh. She torched Virginia for eight points in a single quarter — and the Cavaliers’ progress was reduced to just a four-point lead entering halftime.
Virginia had to claw its way through 20 pivotal minutes of basketball. 20 pivotal minutes would alter the course of the season — either the Cavaliers would earn another game, or go winless in the ACC Tournament for a sixth straight year and could be sent to the offseason full of disappointment. With the season on the line, Virginia delivered. Johnson, Hurd and junior guard Paris Clark all tallied six points. Lattimore joined the party as well, and broke her scoring drought with four points in the quarter.
The Cavaliers held a 12-point lead entering the fourth quarter, and never relinquished their herculean grip on it.
Lattimore closed the contest by making all four of her field goal attempts in the fourth quarter — and Virginia cruised to a comfortable win. For the first time since 2019, the Cavaliers advanced to the second round of the ACC Tournament.
“Very proud of our group,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “I thought it was a great team effort. That first game is always about getting settled in the tournament, getting the jitters out, so I was really happy to see us do that.”
Victory aside, a new challenge awaits almost immediately. Thursday, the Cavaliers take on California. Earlier this season, Feb. 20, Virginia lost a heated battle with the Golden Bears at John Paul Jones Arena by a score of 70-76.
“We did a lot of things wrong in that game,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “But we did compete. So we understand there's room to grow. So we're going to get back and watch the film with the players.”
The rematch tips off at 5:00 p.m. on ACC Network, so there will not be oodles of time for Virginia to study up on its latest opponent. However, the burning desire for revenge is certainly on the minds of these Cavaliers. Riding a four-game winning streak, they will aim to increase it to five straight wins.
Even so, the goal at the moment is to go 1-0 every day. Wednesday, Virginia did that. Tomorrow is a new day, and a new opportunity to continue earning another 40 minutes of basketball.
Read More
No. 14 women’s lacrosse unable to slow No. 2 North Carolina in road defeat
By Eleanor Buchanan | 13 minutes agoThe lopsided defeat may prove to be a developmental stepping-stone.
Road loss to Syracuse concludes turbulent regular season for men’s basketball
By Emory Huffman | 9 hours agoEntering the ACC Tournament, the Cavaliers are left with more questions than answers.
Men's lacrosse triumphs over Towson in historic Houston matchup
By Eleanor Lynch | 11 hours agoVirginia earned a sorely-needed victory, and established momentum ahead of a pending clash with No. 1 Maryland.
