Kymora Johnson outdueled Hannah Hidalgo, John Paul Jones Arena raised a banner in honor of Debbie Ryan, and the Virginia Cavaliers women’s basketball team handled business in an emphatic 81-70 win over Notre Dame on Sunday afternoon.
On what was a frigid Super Bowl Sunday in C’Ville, UVA, which improved to 17-7 overall and 9-4 in the ACC, dominated the second and third quarters and led by as many as 19 points in the second half. Though the Fighting Irish threatened to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter, cutting the Cavalier lead to as few as seven points, the ’Hoos slammed the door shut at the free-throw line to hold on for the 11-point victory.
Here are three takeaways from a confidence-building victory for Coach Mox’s squad:
Virginia is nearing the right side of the bubble
The ’Hoos entered Sunday’s contest as ESPN’s ‘First Team Out’ of the projected NCAA Tournament field and in desperate need of more wins over quality opponents. Though the Fighting Irish, now 30th in the NET rankings, dropped just below Quad-1 win status due to their defeat in Charlottesville, UVA’s 11-point victory was instrumental in solidifying its resume and preserving its hopes of a double-bye in the ACC Tournament.
UVA’s computer metrics (36th in the NET, 38th in Torvik’s NCAAW T-Rank) are competitive, but it’s still being held back by a lack of signature wins — now 0-5 in Quad 1 opportunities based on Monday morning’s NET update. With a 17-2 record outside of Q1, though, the ’Hoos are keeping themselves in the mix by avoiding landmine losses.
Looking forward, UVA’s West Coast trip this weekend will be instrumental in determining if the ’Hoos can get over the hump and earn their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018. California (51st in the NET) and Stanford (42nd in the NET) will each represent winnable Quad 1 matchups, but the Pacific Time Zone has been dangerous for Virginia across all sports.
Kymora Johnson outdueled Hannah Hidalgo
Junior point guards Hannah Hidalgo and Kymora Johnson have been two of the very best players in the ACC since they each came into college as 2023 McDonald’s All-Americans. And while UVA fans know just how much of a game-changer Johnson has been in Charlottesville, Hidalgo has had the upper hand throughout their collegiate careers.
Hidalgo kept Johnson from the ACC Rookie of the Year Award in 2023-24 (Johnson was the runner-up), won ACC Player of the Year last season (Johnson was an All-ACC First Team selection), and boasted a 2-0 career record against the ’Hoos (Hidalgo 25.5 PPG, Johnson 14 PPG in their two head-to-head matchups).
But it was Johnson who delivered the better performance and who led her team to a critical win on Sunday afternoon.
The Charlottesville native finished with a game-high 29 points on 9-of-18 shooting while converting on 9-of-10 free throws, dishing out five assists, and grabbing four rebounds. In a dynamic third quarter in which the ’Hoos grew their lead to 19 points, Johnson was at the forefront, pouring in 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including a pair of dagger 3-pointers in the span of 50 seconds.
Johnson, who surpassed 1,500 career points in the contest, recorded her 11th 20-point output of the season and led Virginia in scoring for the 16th time. While Hidalgo (24 points, 8 assists) was no slouch, Johnson finally got the better of Notre Dame and its superstar point guard on Sunday.
The ’Hoos did the little things right
Virginia was hardly a threat from beyond the arc (3-of-12 3FG), but the ’Hoos played a clean game and did all the little things right to earn a largely stress-free win. UVA turned the ball over just 12 times (to Notre Dame’s 19) against a Fighting Irish defense that has a knack for flustering opposing ballhandlers.
The ’Hoos also won the rebounding battle, 38-34, and relied on getting paint touches to generate quality looks from the field. The result was a 40-minute game in which Virginia led for 32 minutes and 55 seconds to move into a tie for fifth in the ACC standings.
Notably, Coach Mox used just seven players again (excluding Jillian Brown, who saw the floor for just 28 seconds), a stark contrast to the typically deep bench she usually likes to deploy. Coach Mox seems to have found the group she trusts and is willing to ride with them down the stretch of this season. For a group that has struggled with consistency throughout the year, simplifying the rotation might just be the fix that Virginia needed.