McGhee and Johnson Lead Virginia to Second-Straight Road Win at Wake Forest
For the first time since the 2017-2018 season, Virginia women's basketball has won back-to-back ACC road games.
The freshman duo of Olivia McGhee and Kymora Johnson combined to score 45 points and Virginia (12-12, 4-9 ACC) took down Wake Forest (4-10, 0-12 ACC) on the road 87-79 on Sunday afternoon in Winston-Salem.
Having earned herself a spot in the starting lineup for the bulk of ACC play, Olivia McGhee was forced back to the bench in the last two games as she recovered from an injury suffered on February 1st against Virginia Tech. McGhee returned to UVA's starting five on Sunday and if her performance against Wake Forest is any indicator, it seems clear she's back to 100%.
McGhee came ready to play from the opening tip, scoring Virginia's five points and and posting nine points in the first quarter. The opening period was one of UVA's best offensive quarters of the entire season, as the Cavaliers knocked down four of their six three-point attempts, shot 56.3% from the floor, and had six assists on nine made field goals with only two turnovers, all of which amounted to a 22-11 Virginia lead at the end of the first.
Wake Forest scored six-straight points to start the second quarter, prompting a timeout from Coach Mox. But the run continued after the timeout and the Demon Deacons ultimately scored 11 in a row to tie the game. Wake switched to a zone defense, which gave Virginia fits, as the Cavaliers turned the ball over four times in the first few minutes of the second period.
With UVA's offense stagnating, Kymora Johnson took matters into her own hands, stepping back and burying a three-pointer and then finding McGhee in transition for a layup on Virginia's next possession. Wake Forest stayed right with UVA for most of the second quarter, but Sam Brunelle knocked down a three from the top of the key to give the Cavaliers a 38-32 halftime lead.
Virginia made four more threes in the second, but turnovers allowed Wake Forest to get back into and stay in the game. The Demon Deacons scored 16 points off of 11 UVA turnovers in the first half.
The third quarter was an even better one offensively for Virginia than the first quarter. UVA made five more threes, shot 68.8% from the floor, and scored 28 points in the period. Kymora Johnson was responsible for much of that production, posting 12 points and three assists and scoring or assisting on eight of Virginia's 11 third-quarter field goals. Sam Brunelle was a perfect 3/3 from the floor in the third with eight points.
Virginia built a lead as large as 18 in the third quarter at 64-46, but Wake Forest refused to quit. UVA went cold from beyond the arc in the fourth (0/6) and also dealt with some significant foul trouble. Both Edessa Noyan and Camryn Taylor, who returned to the lineup after missing the last four games with a knee injury, fouled out of the game midway through the fourth quarter. Unable to secure the paint or the glass, UVA let Wake Forest back into the game as the Demon Deacons put some real game pressure on the Cavaliers by cutting the deficit to single digits several times.
Although it should have been a more comfortable win against a Wake team that remains winless in conference play, Virginia took care of business at the free throw line, going 9/11 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter to secure the 87-79 win. And as we've learned this season, any win in the Atlantic Coast Conference is a good one, especially on the road.
Virginia set an ACC-play high with 13 made threes on 50.0% shooting and shot 53.4% from the floor. Kymora Johnson had 23 points, seven assists, and six rebounds and fellow freshman Olivia McGhee had 22 points and five rebounds. Camryn Taylor had 14 points and Sam Brunelle scored 13 and both players knocked down a pair of three-pointers.
The victory gave Virginia back-to-back wins on the road in ACC play for the first time since 2017-2018, UVA's final season under the direction of head coach Joanne Boyle. The win also pulls the Cavaliers back to .500 overall on the season with a 12-12 record.
Up next, Virginia has no game during the week and will host Syracuse on Sunday at 2pm at John Paul Jones Arena.
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