Virginia Drops Heartbreaker to No. 14 Duke

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The Cavaliers led for over 30 minutes of game time, but Virginia (10-7, 2-3 ACC) ultimately fell to No. 14 Duke (13-4, 4-1 ACC) by a score of 60-55 on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 12) at John Paul Jones Arena.

Latasha Lattimore (14 pts, 7 reb, 3 blk) and Kymora Johnson (14 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast) led a total of four Cavaliers who scored in double figures on the day including Olivia McGhee (11) and Edessa Noyan (10).

On the defensive end, Virginia stifled the Blue Devils for long portions including a near five-minute stretch to begin the game in which Duke went 0-for-9 from the floor. The Cavaliers recorded 10 blocked shots for the third time this season led by Noyan’s career-high (4) and Lattimore (3). Additionally, six different Cavaliers recorded a steal in the game.

How It Happened
An Olivia McGhee lay-up served as the game’s first made field goal to give Virginia a 3-0 lead with 6:57 on the clock in the first quarter. The Cavaliers forced the Blue Devils into nine consecutive missed attempts to start the game. UVA held duke to just 4-of-21 shooting for the period taking an 11-9 lead into the second quarter.

In the second, Kymora Johnson connected from long range to kickstart an 8-2 Cavalier scoring run. Later in the quarter, the Cavaliers hit from behind the arc on three of four possessions to ignite the offense as Virginia took a 29-20 lead into the half. UVA shot 43-percent from the floor (10-23) in the first half while holding the Blue Devils to just 26-percent (9-34). The Cavaliers also combined for seven blocks and five steals in the opening two quarters.

In the third, the Cavaliers struggled on the offensive end going 5-for-16 from the floor while Duke began to find its rhythm as the Blue Devils outscored Virginia 19-14 in the frame to cut the Cavalier lead to just four [43-39] going into the fourth.

Duke took its first lead of the game [44-43] early in the game’s final period. The Blue Devils would later put together an 11-0 scoring run to increase the Cavalier deficit to seven points [50-57] with just over two minutes remaining. Johnson would cut that lead back down to four [57-53] with a three-pointer on Virginia’s next possession and follow it up with a steal creating a Clark layup in transition to put Virginia back within a pair [57-55]. Johnson came up with a crucial held ball on the next Duke possession to give Virginia one final chance to take the lead, but the Cavaliers ultimately fell by a score of 60-55.

From Head Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton
That was obviously a hard pill to swallow. I thought we competed. We fought, really proud of our fight. That’s the number 14 team in the country; we’re not far away from that. So, we just need to understand that we need to get confidence from this game. We have got to watch the second half and the end of the game and execute a little bit better on both sides of the ball, but I’m proud of our fight for sure.

Game Notes

• Virginia led for 30:55 of game time compared to Duke’s 5:40.
• Double-figure scorers: Johnson (14), Lattimore (14), McGhee (11), Noyan (10)
• Six different Cavaliers recorded at least one steal: Noyan (2), Johnson (2), Lattimore (1), McGhee (1), Clark (1), Grays (1).
• Edessa Noyan recorded a career-high with four blocks
• The Cavaliers held the Blue Devils to just 26 percent from the floor in the first half (9-34)
• Virginia shot 39-percent (20-51) for the game and held Duke to 36 percent (24-66).
• Virginia forced 16 turnovers in the game resulting in 19 Cavalier points
• UVA allowed just seven second chance points off Duke’s 20 offensive rebounds
• The loss snaps a two-game Cavalier win streak 

Up Next:
The Cavaliers return to action on Thursday (Jan. 16) when they travel to Virginia Tech. Tipoff at Cassell Coliseum is set for 6 p.m. on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).