LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Courtesy of UVA Athletics) – For the second straight game, Virginia (14-13, 6-10 ACC) used a huge fourth quarter to will its way to victory, this one 73-68 over No. 20 Louisville (22-7, 11-5 ACC) at KFC Yum! Center Sunday afternoon (Feb. 25). After being outscored by 13 points in the third quarter, the Cavaliers battled back and overpowered Louisville 26-14 in the final period.
Virginia has won four of its last five contests, including back-to-back victories over Miami (when UVA scored the final 14 points of the game) and the Cardinals. The loss marked Louisville’s first at home to an unranked ACC foe since joining the league in 2014. The Cardinals had won its previous 56 such games. UVA was 0-6 all-time in games held in Louisville entering today’s game.
Camryn Taylor (22 pts, 9-14 FG), Kymora Johnson (18 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast), Paris Clark (12 pts, 8 reb) and Jillian Brown (11 pts, 3-5 3FG, 6 reb) all scored in double figures for the Hoos.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia did not trail at any point in the opening quarter after which the Hoos led 16-15. Taylor led UVA with seven points on 3-of-5 shooting, including the game’s first made basket, a 3-pointer. Louisville’s Nyla Harris scored eight of her 17 total points in the opening quarter and 12 of its 15 points came in the paint.
The Cavaliers stretched their lead to six points [32-26] at the half after outscoring the Cardinals by five points in the second quarter. Brown came off the bench and scored eight points of UVA’s 16 second-quarter points on 3-of-5 shooting, including a pair of 3s. Virginia has now led at the half in three of its last four games.
Amid its 28-point quarter, the Cardinals scored nine unanswered to reclaim the lead. Louisville led 54-47 at the end of quarter No. 3. UofL’s Sydney Taylor had eight points on 3-of-7 shooting in the period. Louisville shot 50 percent from the field in the third after six offensive rebounds led to 11 second-chance points.
A jumper with 7:37 to play put the Cardinals up 60-51, which tied for their largest lead of the afternoon. After that, UofL only managed two made field goals the rest of the way. UVA’s 15-1 run flipped the score for good and put the Hoos up 66-61. UVA connected on four of its last five attempts from the field, including Johnson’s final 3-pointer to break a 61-61 tied score. Taylor recorded nine of her 22 points in the fourth, while Johnson scored eight. With under 30 seconds to go, the Cardinals began to foul, and UVA made five of its six free throw attempts at the line to seal the win.
WITH THE WIN…
- Virginia earned its fourth victory in its last five games.
- The Cavaliers extended their road win streak to three games, a first in ACC play since the 2011-12 season.
- UVA claimed its third victory over a ranked opponent this season, also a first since 2008-09 when the Cavaliers defeated four ranked teams.
- The Hoos snapped a 10-game losing skid in the series against Louisville dating back to 2016.
- UVA also snapped Louisville’s 56-game win streak over unranked ACC opponents at KFC Yum! Center, a streak that has spanned since Cardinals’ first season in the ACC (2014-15).
- Virginia improved to 14-13 overall on the season, one game above .500.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- With 22 points, Camryn Taylor recorded her 16th career 20-point game, including fourth of the season.
- Kymora Johnson finished with 18 points, which marked her 14th consecutive double-digit scoring performance.
- Jillian Brown finished with 11 points, her season high against an ACC opponent this season. It also marked Brown’s second double-digit scoring output. She had 10 points against Miami (Feb. 22).
- Virginia led for 22:46 in a game that featured four lead changes.
UP NEXT
The Cavaliers continue their two-game road stint on Thursday (Feb. 29) when UVA travels to Duke (17-9, 9-6 ACC). Tipoff from Cameron Indoor Stadium is set for 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.