Nearly eight years after the Retrievers delivered the most stunning upset in men’s NCAA Tournament history, UMBC (2-1, 0-0 America East) came to John Paul Jones Arena, however, this time on the women’s side.
Thursday was a painful reminder of how quickly games can slip away. The Cavaliers’ 61–56 loss Thursday night was defined by slow offense, careless defense and missed opportunities — a performance Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton called “unacceptable” in her postgame comments.
“Obviously that was not a good game,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “We didn’t compete today, which was very disappointing ... They punched early, they led the whole entire game on our home court, which is unacceptable.”
Virginia (2–1, 0–0 ACC) never really found its footing after quickly trailing 11–2 in the opening minutes. The Retrievers came into the game with an objective of swarming junior guard Kymora Johnson with double teams and full-court pressure, daring someone else to step up for the Cavaliers. The plan worked. Johnson never found a rhythm, finally scoring her first field goal with three minutes and 37 seconds left in the final period — finishing 1-16 from the field.
Despite the struggles from the star of the show, Virginia generated looks. They just could not execute.
“We missed a lot of layups,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “We were getting the shots we wanted, we were executing to get the shots we wanted. We just didn't finish, and that was the difference."
Despite the offensive woes, the Cavaliers had moments where energy filled the building. Sophomore forward Breona Hurd, who dropped a career-high 22 points, kept Virginia alive with assertive drives to the hoop. Hurd was a frequent visitor at charity stripe, shooting 11 free throws. She also took residence in the paint, finishing with four blocks. Hurd scored 12 points in the first half, providing the only consistent spark for an offense that shot 8-for-24 in that first half.
“I was just trying to do whatever I had to do for the team to be successful,” Hurd said. “It's a team sport. If one person is not excelling, we have their back … I'm happy, but I just want to make a better step next game.”
UMBC’s shot-making, meanwhile, repeatedly sent waves of silence throughout John Paul Jones Arena. The Retrievers hit nine of their 14 three-point attempts, draining deep shots at a jaw-dropping 64 percent. They punished slow closeouts and lackadaisical man-to-man defense.
“If we allow that, it's going to be pretty hard to close that game out,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “They hit big shots, our rotations were off a little bit, scrambling and helping … we just weren't competing like we usually do, and we weren't all the way locked into the game plan.”
The Cavaliers did show signs of life in the second half, forcing eight turnovers after switching to a full-court press and tying the game late in the fourth quarter. Freshman guard Gabby White helped spearhead the shift, energizing the team with deflections, pushing the ball in transition, and through the emotions she showed on the court.
“One thing that I can control is my energy and bringing the energy that the team needed,” White said. “I knew as long as the game was going, shots would fall. I had faith in my teammates … So my goal and my mission is just to give us energy defensively and have that translate to offense.”
As Virginia attempted to make its comeback, it always seemed like UMBC had an answer, whether that be a timely three-point shot, a tough contested finish, or a stop at the rim. And when Johnson finally hit her first shot from the field, the Cavaliers couldn’t take that momentum and turn it into a run.
“Our half-court defense was not good,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “Yes, the press kind of got us back in the game, and it's definitely something that we're going to continue to do, but we need to be able to defend better.”
In the final minute, Virginia had chances to take the lead in one instance and tie the game in another, but missed a bunch of three-point attempts, finishing 0-for-14 from downtown as a team.
After Thursday’s showing, it is time to flush out the result and get back to work, as Coach Tony Elliott of the football program would say. That is precisely what Agugua-Hamilton demanded after the game.
“[This game] will be a turning point, because I just know the people in that locker room,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “I know everybody's shocked that we looked that bad … I still stand by my team, and I know the talent that we have … But now it's just about getting better, getting back to what we're doing, and making sure we never look like that again.”
The Cavaliers will have that chance to rebound soon, but Thursday night belonged to UMBC, another chapter in a historical matchup Virginia desperately wishes it didn’t recognize so well.
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