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Virginia Falls to Pitt, 56-52

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CHARLOTTESVILLE Va. – Virginia (9-10, 1-7) was outscored 24-6 in the third quarter by Pittsburgh (7-13, 1-6) as the Panthers held on to win 56-52 at John Paul Jones Arena Thursday night (Jan. 25).

Cavalier guard and reigning ACC Rookie of the Week Kymora Johnson led her team with 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting and pulled down seven rebounds and dished out four assists.

The victory marked Pitt’s first of the season in ACC play. The Panthers had three players score in double figures in Jala Jordan (18 pts), Liatu King (15, 16 reb) and Aislin Malcolm (11 pts).

HOW IT HAPPENED
Pitt led by as many as 11 [15-4] midway through the first after scoring nine straight points. The Cavaliers responded with a 9-0 run of their own to narrow the gap, 15-13, by the end of the period. Pitt converted seven UVA turnovers into 11 points in the opening period. King scored eight of her 15 total points in quarter No. 1.

UVA forward Camryn Taylor was forced to check out of the game midway through the second with an apparent injury. Johnson leveled the scored on a made 3-pointer at the 5:22 mark, and a free throw by Alexia Smith moments later gave the Hoos their first lead of the contest, 19-18. Johnson was 3-for-3 from the field with nine points when Virginia led 26-23 at the half.

Pitt claimed the first 12 points of the second half after the Cavaliers were held scoreless for over five minutes of play. The Panthers went on to outscore UVA 24-6 in the quarter to cling to a 47-32 lead entering the fourth. Virginia shot just 2 of 16 from the field in the period.

With the first made basket of the fourth quarter, the Panthers grasped their largest lead of the contest [49-32] with 7:56 to play. Then, it was UVA that scored 12 straight points, a run that was highlighted by a made 3-pointer from Olivia McGhee. Another made triple, this one by Cady Pauley, trimmed the Panthers’ lead to just four, 53-49, with under 90 seconds remaining. The Cavaliers forced three Pitt turnovers in the final 2:00 of the game. A made 3-pointer from Sam Brunelle with 13 seconds remaining cut the Panthers’ lead to four, 56-52. After the Brunelle 3, Pitt signaled for time. Coming out of the break, UVA forced a five-second violation to regain possession, but the Cavaliers could not get a clean look at the rim during their final possession.

NOTES

  • Reigning ACC Rookie of the Week Kymora Johnson finished with a team-high 17 points. Johnson has led UVA in scoring in its last three games.
  • Thursday’s game marked the 100th of Alexia Smith’s career.
  • With the win, the Panthers evened the all-time series, 7-7, and snapped a four-game losing skid in John Pau Jones Arena.
  • The Cavaliers were outscored 34-14 in the paint.
  • Pitt outscored UVA 24-6 in the third quarter.
  • The Panthers scored 22 points off turnovers, while UVA only managed nine.
  • The win was Pitt’s first in ACC play this season.
  • The Panthers scored 13 straight points, a run that ended with 6:17 remaining in the third, which marked the largest unanswered run by a UVA opponent this season.

UP NEXT
Virginia returns to John Paul Jones Arena on Sunday (Jan. 28) to host No. 20 North Carolina (15-5, 7-1 ACC). Tipoff is set for noon on The CW.

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