Hoos Eager to Build on NCAA Tournament Run

By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — When the final horn sounded Saturday night at Golden 1 Center, it signaled the end of the last Sweet Sixteen game in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. For the Virginia Cavaliers, it officially concluded a postseason run that was as captivating as it was unexpected.

“What they accomplished over the last couple of games is what March is all about,” TCU head coach Mark Campbell said.

Looking to crash the Elite Eight as a No. 10 seed—along with four No. 1s, a No. 2, a No. 3, and a No. 6—UVA led third-seeded TCU by a point at halftime of their third-round game at the Sacramento Kings’ arena.

The Horned Frogs scored the first 11 points of the third quarter, however, and went on to win 79-69. TCU (32-5) will face top-seeded South Carolina (34-3) on Monday night, with the winner advancing to the Final Four.

The Wahoo, who finished 22-12, head into the offseason looking to build on an NCAA tournament run that included wins over No. 10 seed Arizona State, No. 7 seed Georgia and, on its home court, No. 2 seed Iowa. Virginia became the first team to advance from the First Four to the Sweet Sixteen.

“I think it will be great for the program going forward,” senior guard Paris Clark said.

End of our road.

Final: UVA 69-79 TCU#GoHoos 🔸⚔️🔹 #GNSL pic.twitter.com/G8cZNMANIa

— Virginia Women's Basketball (@UVAWomensHoops) March 29, 2026

This was UVA’s fourth season under head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, and she led the program to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2018. The Hoos had to sweat out Selection Sunday, but once the NCAA tournament began they seized the opportunity.

“We did something special, and we thought we were going to continue on to the Elite Eight,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “Came up short. But it doesn't take away from our season and the growth we've had with our program. I think obviously this is just the beginning for us in rebuilding this program, and our players are leaving a legacy. No matter what, they've etched their names in history: NCAA history and also UVA history. I'm just proud of them.”

As they did throughout this NCAA tournament, the Hoos battled to the end Saturday night. After TCU built a 70-55 lead with 2:50 to play, UVA scored 11 points in a 78-second stretch to cut its deficit to eight. A free throw by Clark made it a six-point game with 28 seconds to play, but TCU steadied itself and secured the win.

“The third quarter got away from us a little bit,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “But other than that, I was really proud of our fight. I was proud of the resiliency we showed. We were together even when they were going on a run. We didn't really doubt ourselves or anything like that. We still stayed confident.”

Clark led Virginia with 20 points, and junior guard Kymora Johnson added 18 points, eight assists, six rebounds and two steals. But the Hoos couldn’t contain guard Olivia Miles or forward Marta Suarez, and the production of those TCU graduate transfers was the story of the game.

Suarez, a 6-foot-3 forward, scored a career-best 33 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Miles, a 5-foot-10 guard, nearly recorded a triple-double. She finished with 28 points (on 11-for-14 shooting), 10 rebounds and eight assists.

“Her basketball vision, her IQ, her understanding of the game is magical,” Campbell said of Miles. “It's a gift that she has.”

Suarez came to TCU from Cal and Miles from Notre Dame, so the Cavaliers’ coaching staff knew well how dangerous they could be. According to ESPN, Suarez and Miles assisted on or scored every TCU basket. They scored 77.2% percent of the Horned Frogs’ points themselves.

“Great players step up in big moments,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “So credit to what they did today.”

The game marked the end of the college careers of six UVA players, including Clark, Romi Levy, Jillian Brown and Caitlin Weimar.

A McDonald’s All-American in high school, Clark transferred from Arizona to Virginia after her freshman year and became a three-year starter for Agugua-Hamilton. She shined late in the season, scoring at least 15 points in four of UVA’s final six games.

Clark and Johnson joined Agugua-Hamilton at UVA’s postgame press conference.

Asked what she’ll take away from her college career, Clark said, “I would just say the people I met along the way. These girls are really truly my sisters, and the coaches are really my family. So just being able to be in the same room as these people, I wouldn't want to end it off any other way. Nobody expected us to even be here.”

Clark, who’s from New York City, has “been a big part of our culture,” Agugua-Hamilton said.

“She really had a hand in recruiting almost everybody on our roster. Whenever we were recruiting people, she wanted to talk to them. She wanted to be a hostess on the visit, all that stuff. She was just completely about the culture, bought in, bought into myself and our coaches and this team and just bought into leaving a legacy. We're definitely going to miss having her around. She was here three years and she was a part of some really big wins and obviously a big part of this run. We appreciate her and all of our seniors.”

Of the players who suited up for Virginia against TCU, six have eligibility remaining: Johnson, redshirt juniors Sa’Myah Smith and Tabitha Amanze, sophomores Adeang Ring and Breona Hurd, and freshman Gabby White.

Johnson, an All-ACC selection, led the Hoos in multiple statistical categories this season, including points, assists, steals, 3-pointers made and minutes played.

“I think the biggest thing is to just not be sad that it's over but be happy that it happened,” Johnson said Saturday night when asked for her thoughts on the season. “So for me, I think right now I'm just focused on my team and making sure they stay positive and be proud of all that we did this year.”

Amanze, who transferred from Princeton to UVA after the 2024-25 academic year, suffered a knee injury early in the fourth quarter Saturday night. Agugua-Hamilton said the team’s medical staff was unsure about the severity of the injury.

“Just hoping that she's OK,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “And when we get back, she'll get looked at.”

The team is flying home to Charlottesville on Sunday, and the coaches have already begun planning for next season. The transfer portal opens soon, and reinforcements will be needed at John Paul Jones Arena.

Having gotten a taste of the national stoplight, the Cavaliers are eager for more.

“I think we've laid the foundation,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “We've built the culture. We've built the program at this point. Now it's just continuing to get better and take the next steps. I know we'll be back. A lot of people didn't think we'd be here. We knew we'd be here, and I know we'll be back.”

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