Electric Third Quarter Powers Virginia to 73-65 Win at Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Led by Latasha Lattimore’s 24-point performance, Virginia (11-7, 3-3 ACC) used a dominant third quarter to secure a 73-65 win over Virginia Tech (12-5, 3-3 ACC) on Thursday night (Jan. 16) at Cassell Coliseum.

Lattimore (24 pts, 11-23 FG, 15 reb, 3 blk) led Virginia with her seventh double-double of the season and second 20-point game. Kymora Johnson (16 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast) and Breona Hurd (11 pts, 4 reb, 1 stl, 2 blk) rounded out a trio of Cavaliers in double figures.

How It Happened
The Cavaliers connected on three early triples from Johnson, McGhee and Lattimore to take an 11-4 lead. However, the Hokies answered with a run of seven unanswered to take a 13-11 lead. The Virginia deficit grew to as many as seven [22-15] before UVA closed on 6-0 run to trail 22-21 after one quarter.

Neither team led by more than two points in a second quarter that featured six lead changes and six ties. The teams would go into the second half square at 35-35. Lattimore led the Cavaliers in the first half with 10 points, eight rebounds and a pair of blocks.

The Cavaliers raced out in front in the second half as Paris Clark keyed a 9-0 run with back-to-back assists. UVA dominated the quarter overall, outscoring the Hokies 27-12 shooting 66-percent from the floor (12-18) to take a 62-47 lead into the fourth. Lattimore poured in 10 of her 24 points in the quarter going 5-for-6 from the floor in the period.

The Cavaliers were outscored in the fourth quarter 18-11, but they held on to take the first meeting between the teams, winning 73-65.

With the Win…

• Virginia improves to 53-19 in the all-time series with Virginia Tech
• The Cavaliers record their second consecutive victory over the Hokies
• UVA notches its first win at Cassell Coliseum since an 86-76 victory on Feb. 23, 2020
• The Cavaliers improve to 2-1 on the road in ACC play

Game Notes

• Double-figure scorers: Lattimore (24), Johnson (16), Hurd (11)
• With Lattimore’s 24 points, a Virginia player has scored 20+ points in each of the last four meetings between the teams.
• Lattimore logs her seventh double-double of the season and her eighth game with 10+ rebounds
• Kymora Johnson has scored in double-figures every game this season
• Virginia outrebounded the Hokies 41-31 and improve to 11-2 when winning the battle on the glass
• UVA committed 14 turnovers to Tech’s 17. Virginia is 5-1 when winning the turnover battle
• The Virginia bench outscored the Tech bench 17-6.
• Virginia outscored Tech 42-32 in the paint
• The Cavaliers recorded eight blocks marking just the fourth game this season with 8+ blocks
• UVA shot 81 percent (9-11) from the free throw line and has shot at least 75-percent from the line in three consecutive games
• The Cavaliers led for 27:20 in a game that featured seven lead changes and nine ties

The Smithfield Commonwealth Clash
The Smithfield Commonwealth Clash, originally called the Commonwealth Challenge (2005-2007), has been a part of the UVA-Virginia Tech rivalry since 2014. It is an all-sports, points-based program with the Commonwealth Clash trophy presented to the winning school each year for its dominance in head-to-head competitions.

In women’s basketball, each of the team’s two matchups will count for half a point. Virginia currently leads the competition by a score of 5.5-1 following tonight’s win.

Up Next:
The Cavaliers return to action on Sunday (Jan. 19) when they travel to No. 21 NC State. Tipoff at Reynolds Coliseum is set for 2 p.m. on The CW.