The Plus/Minus: Virginia Women’s Basketball Falls Against Georgia Tech

Virginia came into this game against No. 18 Georgia Tech on buoyed by solid showings in eventual losses to Duke and NC State. If the Cavaliers could play a complete game, the thinking was, Virginia could win this game and get a much-needed Quad 1 win. This was anything but a complete game for Virginia.

Minus

This is a solid Georgia Tech team. The upperclass trio of Tonie Morgan, Kara Dunn and Kayla Blackshear have seemingly been in Atlanta for years. Throw in presumed ACC Freshman of the Year Dani Carnegie and 6’6” Ariadna Termis (she looks more intimidating on paper,) and Nell Fortner has a nice group of players. Carnegie led all scorers with 29 points, and Morgan, Blackshear and Termis all reached double figures. This team was too deep and too experienced to fall, even at JPJ.

Minus

Virginia lost by 13 points on a night when Kara Dunn, Tech’s leading scorer, was 2/8 for just four points.

Minus

Virginia laid an egg in the first quarter and they entered the break down 21-6. The women were 3/13 from the field and 0/5 from deep. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech shot 8/16 from the floor and were 4/9 from deep. The team’s superior ball movement is evidenced by their seven assists on eight made buckets. The Yellow Jackets were very successful in slotting someone right in the middle of the zone and then playing an entry pass into the heart of the zone. Virginia’s defense was repeatedly shredded.

Plus

The start of the second quarter didn’t go well for Virginia either as the deficit ballooned to 28-8. Coach Agugua-Hamilton called timeout with 6:31 left in the quarter and something she said sparked some kind of turnaround. Virginia closed on a 16-8 run as Latasha Lattimore finally came alive and hit back-to-back buckets. Kymora Johnson also woke up and she hit Virginia’s first three-pointer and had seven points in the period. It also helped that Tech’s Tonie Morgan, a criminally under-appreciated point guard and one of my favorite players not wearing a Virginia uniform, decided that she was a three-point gunner. Hint: she’s not. She’s a career 25% shooter from deep, and she went 0/3 in the quarter.

Plus

Kymora Johnson put on a show in the second half, scoring 15 points and dishing out four assists. She scored on three straight possessions; twice, giving up a full foot to Tech’s Termis, she blew by twice to get to the rim for acrobatic finishes. Then on the next possession she bullied the smaller Chazadi Wright. After a scoreless first quarter, Mo finished with 22 points.

Minus

Latasha Lattimore had another double-double, her 10th in 20 games for the Hoos. She was an efficient 6/8 from the line, but other than those two back-to-back baskets early in the second frame, she struggled from the field en route to a 2/11 night. She was also 0/5 from deep.

Minus

Coach Mox has to figure out a way to get the Cavaliers to close out games. Breona Hurd hit a three with 3:26 left in the game to get Virginia to within two, 62-64. Virginia wouldn’t score again. So, in January, against three quality teams – Duke, NC State and now Georgia Tech – Virginia was in position to win and they’ve come up empty. Our very own Luke Lamberson detailed Virginia’s chances for qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. One of the requirements was that the Cavaliers not miss out on any more potential Quad 1 wins. After a disastrous first quarter, Virginia was in position to steal the win. And they didn’t.

Minus

The starters are logging some heavy minutes. Johnson is averaging 39 minutes over the last six games while Lattimore is at 37 minutes. Olivia McGhee has had four games (out of the past six) of 35+ minutes, while for Paris Clark, that number is three. None of these women have looked overtly fatigued in the game’s waning minutes, but the fact remains that Virginia is not clicking late.

Plus

Breona Hurd had her best game since being relegated from the starting lineup. Hurd had 16 points on 5/9 shooting (2/3 from beyond the arc) to go with a 5/6 performance from the free-throw line. I don’t think Paris Clark has been at 100% this season (in fact she went to the locker room following a fall in the third quarter,) and it’s been Hurd lately who has taken over the wing-slasher role from Clark.

Up Next: It doesn’t get any easier as Virginia hosts Louisville on Sunday, January 26th. Game time is 2:00pm and the game is on the CW. Ugh. The ACC has to do better. The CW is a mediocre sports network.

More UVA Women's Basketball News & Content

UVA Women's Basketball Falls to No. 18 Georgia Tech 75-62

Evaluating Virginia Women's Basketball's NCAA Tournament Outlook

Virginia Women's Basketball Falls at No. 21 NC State 73-68 | Five Takeaways

The Plus/Minus: Virginia Women’s Basketball Runs Away from Virginia Tech

Round Robin: Evaluating UVA Women's Basketball at Halfway Point of Season