Skip to main content
Cavaliers Now

Virginia Guard Kymora Johnson Named ACC Rookie of the Week

After dropping 35 points to lead UVA to an upset over Florida State, Kymora Johnson became the first Cavalier in more than four years to be named the ACC's Rookie of the Week
Matt Newton|
Virginia Guard Kymora Johnson Named ACC Rookie of the Week
Virginia Guard Kymora Johnson Named ACC Rookie of the Week

For the first time in more than four years, a player from the Virginia women's basketball program has been named ACC Rookie of the Week. Following a dazzling performance in an upset win at Florida State on Sunday, UVA freshman guard Kymora Johnson was named the ACC Women's Basketball Rookie of the Week, the conference announced on Monday (Jan. 22). 

Johnson put her team on her back on Sunday in Tallahassee, scoring a career-high 35 points on 14/20 shooting and recording seven rebounds and six assists to lead the Cavaliers to a stunning 91-87 upset win at then-No. 15 Florida State. 22 of those points came in the second half, as Johnson made several clutch plays down the stretch, including six points in the final 30 seconds of regulation to seal the victory, Virginia's first in Tallahassee since 2012. 

Johnson became the first Cavalier to score 35 points in a game since Monica Wright in 2009-2010 and joined Dawn Staley as the only two UVA freshmen to score 35 points in a game in program history. Her 35-point effort was also the sixth-highest single-game scoring output by any player in the history of Virginia women's basketball. 

Kymora Johnson is the first Cavalier to be named ACC Women's Basketball Rookie of the Week since Kylie Kornegay-Lucas won the award on November 25th, 2019. 

Thanks to Johnson's heroics in the win at Florida State, Virginia (9-9, 1-6 ACC) received a vote in this week's AP Women's Basketball Top 25 Poll. UVA is set to host Pittsburgh at John Paul Jones Arena on Thursday at 7pm on ACC Network Extra. 

Subscribe to the Cavaliers Now Newsletter to receive UVA sports news in your inbox first thing on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

To stay up to date on all Virginia Cavaliers sports news, follow CavaliersNow on social media:

Facebook: @CavaliersNow
Twitter: @CavaliersNowFN

See more Virginia women's basketball news and content: Virginia Women's Basketball on Sports Illustrated

See more Virginia sports news and content: Virginia Cavaliers on Sports Illustrated

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

Share on XFollow mattynewtss