Cavaliers Fall to Virginia Tech in Smithfield Commonwealth Clash

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The Cavaliers will split the season series with the Hokies after Virginia (12-13, 4-9 ACC) fell to Virginia Tech (16-8, 7-6 ACC) by a score of 87-62 on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 9) at John Paul Jones Arena.

Kymora Johnson (16 pts, 5 ast, 3 reb) and Paris Clark (16 pts, 4 ast, 4 reb) led the team on the stat sheet while Breona Hurd (12 pts, 2 stl, 2 reb) rounded out a trio of Cavaliers in double figures.

The Hokie offense shot the ball at an efficient 58-percent clip (31-53) including 12-for-19 from beyond the arc and converted 20 points off 18 Cavalier turnovers to hand Virginia its second consecutive defeat.

How It Happened
Momentum swung back-and-forth in the opening period, but Virginia was ultimately outscored by Virginia Tech 14-20. Kymora Johnson picked up a pair of early fouls in the opening three minutes of the first quarter sidelining the Cavalier point guard for the remainder of the period.

In the second, the Hokies stretched their lead to as many as 18 points [26-44] knocking down five three-pointers on 5-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Lattimore led the Cavaliers at the break with eight points in the first half as the Cavaliers went to the locker room trailing 28-46.

The teams played an even third quarter as both sides netted 20 points. Johnson, Hurd and Clark each netted six points to combine for 18 of Virginia’s 20 scored in the frame. On the other side, Virginia Tech Lani White scored 10 of her 15 points in the quarter as the Cavaliers trailed by 18 [48-66] entering the final period.

The Cavaliers were outscored 21-14 in the fourth, eventually falling to an 87-62 defeat at the final horn.

From Head Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton:
“Credit to Virginia Tech. They were the better team tonight. Another embarrassing performance. We have not played well at home, gave up too many points, not executing. That’s why the game went the way it went.”

Game Notes

• Double figure scorers: Clark (16), Johnson (16), Hurd (12)
• The Cavaliers were outrebounded by a margin of 32-29
• Virginia outscored Virginia Tech 38-22 in the paint
• Of the Hokies 31 made baskets, 26 were assisted marking the highest total of any UVA opponent this season
• Virginia Tech shot 58-percent (31-53) from the field compared to Virginia’s 40-percent (23-57)
• The Hokies shot 63-percent (12-19) from three-point range while UVA was 12-percent (2-16) from beyond the arc

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 leads the competition by a score of 5.5-3 following this afternoon’s result. 

Up Next:
The Cavaliers return to action on Sunday (Feb. 16) when they travel to Pittsburgh. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 2 p.m. on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).