WBB: Cavaliers rally for 66-61 win against Green Bay in Puerto Rico

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

In a back-and-forth game that featured 13 lead changed and seven ties, Virginia opened its three-game stint at the Discover Puerto Rico Shootout with a 66-61 win over Green Bay on Thursday afternoon at Coliseo Guillermo Angulo in San Juan.

The win marked Virginia’s fifth consecutive victory as Kymora Johnson (19 pts, 5 for 13 FG, 8 reb, 2 ast) led a trio of Cavaliers that scored in double figures including Yonta Vaughn (12 pts, 5 for 11 FG, 4 ast), and Breona Hurd (10 pts, 6 for 9 FT, 7 reb).

The Cavaliers (6-1) controlled the glass with a 44-30 advantage in rebounding. Taylor Lauterbach led the team with nine boards while Johnson and Hurd pulled down eight and seven respectively.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Phoenix (3-3) jumped out to an early 5-1 lead, but a pair of three pointers from Olivia McGhee and Vaughn quickly turned the tables to give Virginia its first lead of the game [9-7]. The first period ended with the teams knotted at 12-12.

The Cavaliers started the second quarter on a 7-4 run highlighted by a Vaughn three pointer to put the Cavaliers back up by a pair [18-16].

However, Green Bay answered back with a run of its own outscoring the Cavaliers by a margin of 13-8 to end the half. UVA was left facing a three-point deficit [26-29] going into the break.

The Cavaliers quickly erased the deficit at the start of the second half regaining the lead [30-29] after a pair of buckets from Taylor Lauterbach and Latasha Lattimore. Green Bay bounced back to take a 36-42 lead, but Virginia caught fire in the final minutes of the quarter.

The Cavaliers rattled off seven points in the span of just 15 seconds in which the ball never left UVA’s offensive end. Paris Clark capped the scoring run with a steal and an easy layup to give Virginia a 1-point lead [43-42] going into the fourth.

The Cavaliers outscored their opposition 23-19 in the fourth with the game hanging in the balance. Virginia used a 10-3 scoring run that spanned nearly five minutes to take a six-point advantage [62-56] and grab control of the game with just over a minute to play.

Green Bay would get within a possession one more time [62-59], but a clutch bucket in the paint from Taylor Lauterbach and a pair of Johnson free throws sealed the win for the Cavaliers.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Kymora Johnson recorded a season-high eight rebounds, just one shy of her career-high mark
• Three Cavaliers scored in double figures including Johnson (19), Vaughn (12) and Hurd (10)
• Breona Hurd has scored in double-figures in all of her first seven collegiate games
• A career-high six of Hurd’s 10 points came from the free-throw line
• UVA’s six-point comeback marks its largest of the season
• The win marks UVA’s first victory of the season when trailing at the half
• Neither team led by more than six points
• Virginia held Green Bay to just two makes on their last 10 attempts
• The Cavaliers outrebounded Green Bay by a margin of 44-30
• Virginia scored 13 points on fast breaks and limited Green Bay to just two

WITH THE WIN…

• The Cavaliers improve their winning streak to five consecutive games.
• The Cavaliers are now 26-5 against non-conference opponents under Amaka Agugua-Hamilton
• Virginia improves to 2-1 in the all-time series against Green Bay

UP NEXT

The Cavaliers are back in action Friday when they take on Washington State. Tipoff from Coliseo Guillermo Angulo is set for 4 p.m. ET.