Virginia Hosts Missouri for Inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (4-2) returns to John Paul Jones Arena on Thursday (Nov. 30) to host Missouri (5-2) at 5 p.m. on ACC Network for the inaugural ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge presented by Dixie Ultra.

Thursday’s game has been designated a ‘Blue Out.’ All fans are encouraged to wear blue and the first 1,000 spectators in attendance will receive a free blue t-shirt. Additionally, the Cavaliers will don their blue uniforms, which are traditionally worn on the road.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

• Thursday’s contest will be broadcast on ACC Network. Jason Ross Jr. and Brooke Weisbrod will have the call.
• The game will also be broadcast on WINA (98.9FM/1070AM), VirginiaSports.com and the Virginia Sports mobile app.
• Live statistics will be provided through Statbroadcast, which can be accessed on VirginiaSports.com and the UVA Sports mobile app.

SERIES HISTORY

• UVA and Mizzou meet for the first time in series history on Thursday.
• Virginia head Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, who was previously head coach at Missouri State for three seasons (2019-22), is 3-0 all-time against the Tigers.

50^TH ANNIVERSARY OF UVA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

• Thursday marks the 50th anniversary of the very first UVA women’s basketball game, which took place on Nov. 30, 1973 at Mary Washington College (Fredericksburg, Va.).
• UVA won its inaugural game, 37-32, a victory that kicked off a 10-5 campaign.
• Later this season, Virginia will officially celebrate 50 years of UVA Women’s Basketball on Jan. 28, when the Cavaliers host North Carolina.

LAST TIME OUT

• Virginia went 1-1 at the Cayman Islands Classic with an 81-59 comeback victory over Tulane last Friday (Nov. 24) and a 76-73 loss to No. 7 LSU on Saturday (Nov. 25).
• In the win over Tulane, the Cavaliers overcame a 15-point deficit before ultimately leading by as many as 24 points in the fourth quarter. UVA finished with 49 bench points.
• Against the reigning-national champion Tigers, there were 14 lead changes and 12 tied scores as the Hoos came up one possession shy.
• Yonta Vaughn (13.5 ppg, 5.5 apg) was named to the Cayman Islands All-Tournament Team.

HEAT CHECK

• After shooting 19.9 percent from 3-point range in its first four games of the season, the Cavaliers set the program single-game record with 15 made 3-pointers (35 attempts) in UVA’s comeback win over Tulane (Nov. 24).
• Six different Cavaliers made a 3-pointer against the Green Wave, including Sam Brunelle (4-5 3FG) and Yonta Vaughn (4-8 3FG), who led the team with four each.
• UVA’s previous record was 14 made 3s (24 attempts) at Rider on Jan. 2, 2008.

COMIN’ IN HOT

• In UVA’s 81-59 comeback win over Tulane (Nov. 24), the Cavaliers scored 49 points off the bench, the most by UVA in a single game since Dec. 18, 2011, when its bench scored 55 points in a 92-43 victory over Radford.
• Additionally, the Hoos’ top-3 scorers in Yonta Vaughn (14 pts), Sam Brunelle (12 pts) and Alexa Smith (10 pts) came off the bench.

DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK

• Also in the 81-59 win over Tulane, Virginia erased a 15-point deficit after trailing 20-15 with 3:01 remaining in the first quarter.
• UVA went on to lead by as many as 24 points [66-42] with 9:45 left in the game.
• The comeback marked UVA’s largest since it set the program record on Feb. 13, 2020, when the Cavaliers overcame a 22-point deficit in the Hoos’ 69-64 win over Miami.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS

• Under head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, UVA is 15-2 against non-conference opponents.
• The Cavaliers won their first 14 non-conference matchups before falling to No. 25 Oklahoma, 82-67, on Nov. 19.

EVERYBODY WANTS SOME

• After finishing fourth in the ACC in attendance (3,489) in 2022-23, UVA set a program record for season tickets sold this offseason after adding 1,000 new season ticket holders this year.
• For games played through Nov. 29, Virginia is currently third in the ACC and 25 in the nation in attendance (3,887/gm).
• Last season, Virginia also hosted 6,378 fans for National Girls and Women in Sports Day and Senior Day, which marked the highest attendance for a UVA women’s basketball non-field trip day game since 2011.

ON THE HORIZON

• The Cavaliers travel to La Salle (3-2) on Sunday (Dec. 3) for UVA’s first true road contest of the season.
• Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.