Virginia Hosts No. 19 Syracuse for National Girls & Women in Sports Day Game

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (12-12, 4-9 ACC) is in search of its third straight win when the Cavaliers welcome No. 19 Syracuse (21-4, 11-3 ACC) to John Paul Jones Arena Sunday afternoon (Feb. 18). Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. on ACC Network.

Sunday’s contest is UVA’s designated National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) game. At halftime, the Cavaliers will recognize former head coach Debbie Ryan as this year’s NGWSD honoree. Virginia will also host its annual youth sports festival on the concourse level of John Paul Jones Arena from 12:30–1:50 p.m. The festival will include multiple sports stations for youth to participate and feature UVA student-athletes from its football, field hockey, rowing, volleyball, women’s golf and women’s lacrosse programs. Youth who are in eighth grade and under completing all the sport stations will receive a complimentary t-shirt. Doors open at 12:30 p.m., and admission to the festival is free with a game ticket. READ MORE

FOR OPENERS

• With no midweek game this past week, Virginia is in search of its third consecutive win, coming off back-to-back road victories over Boston College and Wake Forest.
• Prior to Sunday’s win over the Demon Deacons, UVA had not won back-to-back ACC road games since the 2017-18 season.
• Kymora Johnson is averaging 22.3 points per game in the Cavaliers’ last seven outings and has led UVA in scoring in seven of its last eight games.
• 19 Syracuse (21-4, 11-3 ACC) enters Sunday’s contest in second place in the ACC, just one game behind Virginia Tech.
• Syracuse’s Dyaisha Fair (21.3 ppg) is currently third in scoring among all ACC players and was named to the Naismith Trophy Women’s Player of the Year Midseason Team earlier this season.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

• Jay Alter (play-by-play) and Kelly Gramlich (analyst) will have the call on ACC Network.
• The game will also be broadcast on 98.9-FM/1070-AM WINA, VirginiaSports.com and the Virginia Sports mobile app.
• Live statistics will be located on VirginiaSports.com and the Virginia Sports mobile app.

A WIN FOR THE CAVALIERS WOULD…

• Give Virginia its third consecutive victory in ACC play for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
• Give the Cavaliers their third win over a ranked opponent this season, a first since the 2008-09 season.
• Surpass last year’s ACC win total (4).

SERIES HISTORY

• Syracuse leads the all-time series, which began in 1985, 10-5.
• However, the Cavaliers lead 3-2 among games played in Charlottesville.
• The Orange are currently riding a three-game win streak in the series.
• Syracuse is 7-2 against UVA in ACC regular-season games since the Orange joined the league in 2013-14.

LAST MEETING BETWEEN THE HOOS & SYRACUSE

• Syracuse won last year’s meeting between the two teams, 90-72, at the JMA Wireless Dome Jan. 26, 2023.
• Cuse’s Dyaisha Fair scored season-high 36 points including a career-best eight 3-pointers.
• As a team, Syracuse made 12 3-pointers.
• Despite missing much of the third quarter in foul trouble, Camryn Taylor led the Hoos with 20 points. She fouled out of the contest with 4:30 remaining in the fourth quarter.
• Yonta Vaughn dished out a career-high eight assists.
• The result marked UVA’s then-13th consecutive ACC road loss.

LAST TIME OUT

• Virginia shot over 50 percent for the second time this season to tally its second consecutive road win, an 87-79 decision over Wake Forest last Sunday (Feb. 11).
• UVA’s second consecutive road victory marked a first since the 2017-18 season.
• The Hoos led by as many as 18 points [61-43] with 2:42 to play in the third quarter.
• Kymora Johnson (23 pts, 8-13 FG, 6 reb, 7 ast) and Olivia McGhee (22 pts, 9-15 FG, 5 reb) combined for 45 points in the win.
• McGhee’s 22 points are a career best.
• After missing the previous four games due to injury, Camryn Taylor scored 14 points after going 5 of 7 from the field.
• Sam Brunelle finished with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Brunelle has scored in double figures in four of UVA’s last five games.

KYMORA JOHNSON LEADING THE CHARGE

• First-year guard Kymora Johnson is one of the top freshmen in the nation.
• Johnson is currently leading the Cavaliers in scoring in conference play with an average of 17.7 points per game, which is tied for eighth among all ACC players.
• Prior to UVA’s road win over BC, Johnson led UVA in scoring in its previous six games, including a career-high 35 points in the Hoos’ 81-87 road upset over then-No. 15 Florida State (Jan. 21).
• In UVA’s last seven games, Johnson is averaging 22.3 points per game and shooting 53.3 percent from the field.
• Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo (5.4 apg) and Johnson (5.3 apg) are the nation’s freshman assist leaders.

OLD SCHOOL BASKETBALL

• For games played through Feb. 16, Virginia is 11th in the nation in rebounds per game (43.25), 25th in defensive rebounds per game (29.0) and 37th in offensive rebounds per game (14.2).
• The Hoos lead the ACC free throw percentage (77.9), good for 15th nationally.
• The Cavaliers are 12-5 this season when either leading or tying their opponents in rebounding.
• UVA has shot at least 80 percent from the charity stripe in 10 games this season, including the most recent win at Wake Forest.

ON THE HORIZON

• The Cavaliers host Miami (16-8, 6-7 ACC) on Thursday (Feb. 22).
• Tipoff from John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.