In Greensboro, North Carolina, Kymora Johnson was a standout performer, scoring 17 points as she led Virginia to a triumphant 64-50 win over Pittsburgh in the opening round of the ACC Tournament on Wednesday. Latasha Lattimore also played a crucial role, achieving her 11th double-double of the season while contributing heavily across the stats sheet. Lattimore added 12 points and 11 rebounds, alongside career-best figures of six blocks and five steals, aiding the Cavaliers (17-14) progress to the second round where they will face seventh-seeded California on Thursday. Their prior encounter saw Virginia falling short to the Golden Bears, 76-70, on February 20.
Virginia’s Breona Hurd and Paris Clark also played significant roles by adding 15 and 11 points respectively. During a decisive third quarter, Hurd, Clark, and Johnson each contributed six points to a 22-14 Virginia surge, extending the lead to double digits that they maintained into the final quarter.
For Pittsburgh, Khadija Faye came off strong in the latter half with 15 points and 11 rebounds, marking her 17th double-double this season despite not scoring in the first half. MaKayla Elmore chipped in with 11 points, and Marley Washenitz added 10. Unfortunately, Pitt’s second-leading scorer, Mikayla Johnson, was unable to contribute, leaving the game early in the second quarter due to an injury.
In the initial half, Virginia struggled offensively with just a 29% shooting performance. However, they turned things around impressively in the second half, shooting at 59% and setting a new program record for blocks in a single season, reaching a total of 176.
Pittsburgh faltered offensively, with a mere 23% shooting rate, only managing to make six 3-pointers from 41 attempts inside the arc. Although Pitt initially grabbed a seven-point lead, a pressing 19-0 Virginia run spread across the opening quarters ensured the Cavs took a firm hold of the game, closing out the first half with a 26-22 lead that they never relinquished.
