Cavaliers Stun No. 5 Virginia Tech, 80-75, in Front of Record Crowd

Virginia guard Yonta Vaughn brings the ball down court while facing LaSalle during an NCAA basketball game on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Jason E. Miczek)

Posted: Mar 3, 2024 / 11:58 PM EST

Updated: Mar 3, 2024 / 11:58 PM EST

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (Courtesy of UVA Athletics) – In front of 11,975 fans at John Paul Jones Arena, Virginia (15-14, 6-11 ACC) took down No. 5 Virginia Tech (23-6, 14-4 ACC) by a final score of 80-75 in a Smithfield Commonwealth Clash Sunday night (March 3). The attendance figure is the highest ever recorded in a college women’s basketball game in the state of Virginia, surpassing the previous record of 11,966, which was set at the 1994 women’s Final Four at Richmond Coliseum.

Sunday’s contest featured 11 lead changes, 10 tied scores, and neither team ever led by more than six points.

Kymora Johnson led the Cavaliers with 21 points after shooting 8 for 17 from the floor and dished out a game-high eight assists. Camryn Taylor (17 pts, 7 reb, 7-8 FT) and Paris Clark (16 pts, 6 reb) also scored in double figures for the Hoos.

Virginia Tech’s Georgia Amoore registered a game-high 39 points on 13-of-26 shooting, including 8 for 15 from 3-point range. Amoore’s 39 points set a John Paul Jones Arena record by an individual women’s basketball player since the arena opened in 2006. Tech’s Elizabeth Kitley (20 pts, 9-11 FG, 9 reb) exited the game after taking tumble on a transition layup four minutes into the second half.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Amoore and Johnson traded 3s to start the game. Virginia led by one [17-16] at the end of the first despite being outrebounded, 15-10. Six Tech turnovers led to seven UVA points. Johnson scored eight of her 21 total points in the first 10 minutes of play.

The Hokies grasped their largest lead of the game [23-17] after scoring the first seven points of the second quarter, which capped a 12-0 run. Virginia gradually settled in offensively and closed out the half on a 15-4 run to lead it 34-29 at the break. An and-1 by Taylor concluded the first-half scoring. Clark recorded eight points on 3-of-4 shooting, including an and-1 and a made 3, in the second. Kitley led all scorers with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting at the half.

Both teams exploded for a combined 47 points in the third quarter. A steal by the Hokies midway through led to a made layup in transition by Kitley when she sustained the injury. She exited the game at the 6:04 mark and did not return. The Hokies shot 60 percent in the third, while UVA shot 58 percent. A 3-pointer by Jillian Brown with 1:36 remaining in the period broke a 49-49 tied score. Shortly thereafter, Tech made a layup with one second left to trim UVA’s lead to 56-54 heading into the fourth.

Brown scored the Cavaliers’ first five points of quarter No. 4 with the help of another 3. Of the Hokies’ eight made field goals in the final stanza, Amoore made six of them. Her second 3-pointer of the fourth gave Tech its first and only lead of the quarter, which lasted for 29 seconds, before Johnson drew a foul and knocked down two free throws. The score was tied twice thereafter. Virginia led by six [78-72] with 34 seconds to go, but on the ensuing possession Amoore knocked down a jumper and was fouled. She connected on her attempt at the line to make it a one-possession-game [78-75] with 28 seconds remaining. The Cavaliers missed four consecutive free throws down the stretch, but Amoore missed a 3 that would have tied the game with 18 seconds remaining. Sam Brunelle sunk two free throws with 13 ticks left to give UVA an 80-75 lead. Tech missed its final two shots of the game as the Hoos held on to split the regular-season series with the Hokies.

WITH THE WIN…

The Cavaliers claimed their fourth win of the season over a ranked opponent, a first since 2008-09.
Virginia won its fifth game in its last seven.
The Hoos snapped a five-game losing skid in the series against the Hokies.
UVA claimed its first win over a top-5 opponent since toppling No. 4 Florida State, 60-51, at JPJ on Feb. 16, 2017.
It was also UVA’s 12^th all-time upset over a top-5 opponent.
The Cavaliers earned their seventh win in ACC play this season, one more than UVA’s previous three seasons combined.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

Sunday’s attendance figure of 11,975 is the highest ever recorded in a college women’s basketball in the state of Virginia.
The state’s previous record of 11,966 was set at the 1994 women’s Final Four at Richmond Coliseum.
The game featured 11 lead changes, 10 tied scores, and neither team ever led by more than six points.
The Cavaliers led for 24:59 of game time.
Virginia Tech had 17 turnovers, which led to 21 Virginia points. UVA had only eight turnovers.
Georgia Amoore (39 points) set a John Paul Jones Arena record for the most points scored by an individual in a single game by a women’s basketball player. Former Virginia men’s basketball player J.R. Reynolds still holds the overall record from when he scored 40 against Wake Forest on Jan. 21, 2007.
After the conclusion of Sunday’s game, Virginia honored Taylor Lauterbach, Kaydan Lawson, London Clarkson, Camryn Taylor and Sam Brunelle for Senior Night.

UP NEXT
The 11^th-seeded Cavaliers take on No. 14 seed Wake Forest (6-24, 2-16 ACC) on Wednesday (March 6) in the first round of the ACC Tournament. Tipoff from Greensboro Coliseum is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on ACC Network.