WBB: UVA advances to ACC second round with 64-50 win over Pitt

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

For the first time since 2019, the Virginia women’s basketball won its opening game of the Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament. The 10th-seeded Cavaliers used a 19-0 scoring run in the second quarter to take control and cruise past No. 15 seed Pitt on their way to a 64-50 victory on Wednesday afternoon at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro. 

Kymora Johnson led the way pouring in 17 points while dishing out seven assists. Latasha Lattimore posted her 11th double-double of the season (12 pts, 11 ast), while adding six blocks and five steals on the day. Freshman forward Breona Hurd went for 15 points and seven rebounds, while Paris Clark put up 11 points and eight assists.  

Led by a career-high six blocks from Lattimore, the Cavaliers combined to block 11 shots and match a season-high as a team to go with eight steals.  

Virginia (17-14) shot 59 percent (16 for 27) from the floor in the second half and limited Pitt to 23 percent (14 for 60) for the game. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Panthers (13-19) took an early 12-5 lead, however, the Cavaliers scored nine consecutive points to end the quarter with a 14-12 advantage. Clark and McGhee combined for 10 of Virginia’s points in the quarter, while Johnson assisted on three of UVA’s five field goals in the quarter.  

The Cavaliers made it a 19-0 run, scoring the first 10 points of the second quarter. Johnson led the way for Virginia in the second scoring nine of the team’s 12 points in the quarter. The Cavaliers led by as many as 12 in the frame but took a 26-22 lead into the half.  

Virginia outscored the Panthers, 22-14, in the third quarter as Clark, Johnson and Lattimore all chipped in six points. The Cavaliers shot 66 percent (8 of 12) from the floor in the third while holding Pitt to just 20 percent (3 for 15). UVA took a 48-36 lead into the final quarter. 

Lattimore led the way in the fourth scoring eight points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting, as the Cavaliers outscored their opponents, 16-14, in the final period.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Double figure scorers: Johnson (17), Hurd (15), Lattimore (12), Clark (11)
• Lattimore recorded career highs with 5 steals and 6 blocks
• Lattimore recorded her 11th double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds
• Virginia shot 80-percent from beyond the arc in the third quarter
• The Cavaliers tied their season high of 11 blocks
• Paris Clark tied her career high with three 3-pointers
• The Cavaliers defense held Pitt’s All-ACC First Team Khadija Faye to shooting a season low 15-percent (3-19) from the field
• The Hoos shot the ball 59-percent (16-27) from the field in the second half
• The Cavaliers outrebounded Pitt, 45-39
• Virginia improves to 14-4 on the year when out rebounding its opponent
• Lattimore jumps to tied 4th all time for number of blocks in a single season with 69
• The Cavaliers scored 28 points in the paint doubling the Panthers’ 14 

WITH THE WIN…

• Virginia wins its first game in the Ally ACC Tournament since a 77-61 victory over Boston College in 2019
• The Cavaliers improve to 9-7 in the all-time series with Pittsburgh
• Virginia has won five of its last six games
• UVA records its first win in the ACC Tournament under head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton
• The Cavaliers improve to 38-43 all-time in the ACC Tournament 

FROM HEAD COACH AMAKA AGUGUA-HAMILTON

“Very proud of our group. I thought it was a great team effort. That first game is about getting settled in the tournament and getting the jitters out. So, I was really happy to see us do that. Pitt did a good job of trying to junk the game up, changing defenses even in the middle of a possession and things like that so we just stayed poised. We had some really good performances and some key breakout games, but overall, as a team I am really proud of our effort.”

UP NEXT

The Cavaliers advance to the second round of the Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament and will take on No. 7 seed California on Thursday (see updated bracket below). Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. on ACC Network (ACCN).