First-Half Shooting Propels Cavaliers to 82-56 Victory Over Fordham

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (8-3) made 10 3-pointers in the first half and never trailed on the way to its 82-56 victory over Fordham (5-7) at John Paul Jones Arena Thursday evening (Dec. 21).

The Cavaliers had their best shooting performance of the season, recording season highs in both field goal percentage (53.4) and 3-point field goal percentage (54.5).

Kymora Johnson led all scorers with a season-high 26 points, which tied for the most by a Cavalier in single game this season. Johnson, who finished 10-of-13 from the field, including 6-for-7 from 3-point range, also grabbed five rebounds, and dished out seven assists. Johnson’s six made 3-pointers tied the John Paul Jones Arena record by a UVA individual since it opened for the 2006-07 season. Paris Clark (15 pts, 6-10 FG, 4 ast) and Camryn Taylor (10 pts, 8 reb) also scored in double figures for the Hoos.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Cavaliers scored the first 18 points of the game after holding Fordham scoreless for the first 7:30 of play. The scoring run was highlighted by three made 3s and an and-1 from Taylor. Virginia finished the quarter 9-for-14 from the field at which points the Hoos led 27-7. The quarter was capped by Olivia McGhee stealing the ball at the top of the key and finishing in transition at the other end was under 20 second remaining. The Cavaliers had just two turnovers to the Rams’ 10 in the opening period.

Virginia grasped its largest of the first half [45-17] on a made 3-pointer by Cady Pauley – the Cavaliers’ 10^th of the game – midway through the second quarter. Pauley’s 3 was one of the Hoos’ six triples in the second. UVA led 50-25 at the end of two, and Johnson led all scorers with 12 points on four made 3s. Virginia’s 50 first-half points and 25-point lead marked season bests for the Cavaliers in both categories.

After the two teams traded free throws to start the third, UVA scored 12 straight points to gain its largest lead of the game [64-26] – also good for its largest in any game this season. The Rams implemented a full-court press, which gave the Cavaliers fits, halting UVA’s scoring run, and Fordham scored eight straight points of its own. Clark scored six points on 2-of-4 shooting and sunk a pair of free throws while Taylor pulled down five of her eight total rebounds in the third.

Fordham scored the first 10 points of the fourth, but back-to-back Johnson layups in transition broke up the Rams’ best run of the game. Johnson connected on a pair of 3s, including the last basket of the game, which she hit with the shot clock winding down at the 28-second mark of the fourth. Johnson’s pair of late triples gave the Hoos 12 for the game, just one shy of tying the UVA recorded at JPJ.

FROM HEAD COACH AMAKA AGUGUA-HAMILTON
“I’m really proud of our team. I thought we responded in every way we needed to. There were so many great things about this game and a lot of people were … just talking about stats. But what I was most proud about it was our synergy, our camaraderie, our togetherness … pushing through adversity and just pushing through when things didn’t go our way or whatever, just staying together. I thought that we had tremendous growth in that area.”

WITH THE WIN…

• The Cavaliers extended their lead in the all-time series against Fordham, 3-0.
• Virginia improved to 19-3 against non-conference opponents under head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton.
• Agugua-Hamilton notched her 97^th career win as head coach.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Virginia’s 12 made 3-pointers marked the second time this season in which UVA made a dozen triples … The Cavaliers’ 12 made 3-pointers were one shy of tying the UVA record in JPJ.
• Thursday’s contest also marked the second time in which the Hoos made at least 12 3-pointers in a single game, having set the program record of 15 in their win over Tulane (Nov. 24).
• Virginia recorded season highs in both field goal percentage (53.4) and 3-point field goal percentage (54.5).
• The Cavaliers’ 38-point lead [64-26] at the 4:54 mark in the third quarter marked UVA’s largest of the season.
• Virginia led 50-25 at halftime, its largest lead at the break over an opponent this season … The Cavaliers’ 50 first-half points were also good for a season high.
• The Hoos scored a season-high 36 fast break points, topping their previous best of 24 in UVA’s season opener against Maryland-Eastern Shore (Nov. 8).
• Kymora Johnson scored a season-high 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting, including 6-for-7 from 3-point range.
• Johnson’s 26 points tied for the most by a Cavalier in a single game this season … Camryn Taylor scored 26 points in UVA’s overtime win over Missouri.
• Johnson’s 26 points are also the most by a UVA first-year player since Nov. 24, 2019 when Kylie Kornegay-Lucas scored 31 points against Old Dominion.
• Johnson’s six made 3-pointers tied the John Paul Jones Arena record by a UVA individual since it opened for the 2006-07 season.
• Taylor pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.
• With 15 points, Paris Clark recorded her fifth double-digit scoring outing of the season.

UP NEXT
Virginia opens ACC play on Sunday, Dec. 31 against NC State (12-0), which is currently ranked No. 3 in this week’s AP top-25 poll. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. on ACC Network.