Virginia Suffers 71-66 Defeat to Wyoming

SAN JUAN — The Discover Puerto Rico Shootout came to an end on Saturday (Nov. 30) as Virginia (6-3) fell to Wyoming (4-4) by a score of 71-66. The Cavaliers closed the competition with a record of 1-2 after back-to-back strong comeback efforts fell just short.

Kymora Johnson (26 pts, 8-19 FG, 9 reb, 4 ast) proved crucial to the Cavalier comeback effort scoring 20 of her 26 points in the second half while matching a career-high on the boards. Yonta Vaughn (11 pts, 4-10 FG, 4 reb) was also a major factor in the second half.

How It Happened
The Cavaliers worked their way into an early three-point lead [5-2], but Wyoming used an 8-0 run to put the Cavaliers in a five-point hole [5-10]. Olivia McGhee knocked connected from beyond the arc on her first attempt of the game to kickstart a Cavalier run that trimmed the lead to just three [13-16] at the end of the quarter.

Wyoming continued to pull ahead in the second, expanding their lead to as many as eight points [20-28] with 1:57 to play in the half. The Cavaliers closed the half strong cutting the lead down to just four [26-30] at the break.

In the third, the Cowgirls stretched their lead to nine [31-40]. The Cavaliers pulled within a pair [41-43] with 2:32 to play in the quarter but were ultimately faced with a six-point deficit entering the final 10 minutes. Johnson poured in seven of her 26 points in the quarter while going 2-for-4 from three-point range.

The Wyoming lead grew to as many as 11 points [65-54] in the fourth, but the Cavaliers battled back. Seven points from Johnson fueled a 10-2 Virginia run to trim the deficit back to just three points [64-67], but Virginia was ultimately unable to close the gap completely.

Game Notes

• Double-figure scorers: Johnson (26), Vaughn (11)
• Johnson logged her second consecutive 20-point game and her fifth of the season
• Johnson’s 26 points and 4 three-pointers each mark a season-highs.
• Johnson led the team with nine rebounds to match a career high
• RyLee Grays matched a career-high with six rebounds for the second consecutive game
• Virginia’s 26 points at the half mark its lowest total of the season
• UVA was outscored in the painted area 38-28
• UVA scored 15 fast break points compared to Wyoming’s five
• Virginia closes the Discover Puerto Rico Shootout with a 1-2 record
• The Cavaliers fall to 0-1 in the all-time series against Wyoming

Up Next:
The Cavaliers are back in action on Thursday (Dec. 5) when they take on Auburn in the SEC/ACC Challenge. Tipoff from John Paul Jones arena is set for 6 p.m. on ACC Network. The game has been designated as a white-out and fans are encouraged to wear white.