Women’s basketball breezes past Longwood and Northwestern State

The Cavaliers are approaching a turning point.

While the season had largely been defined by easy wins over subpar competition — save for a nightmare loss to UMBC — the schedule is beginning to gradually increase in difficulty. Longwood, a respectable Big South foe, was perhaps the best opponent to date. 

Thursday night, graduate guard Romi Levy drove Virginia (5-1, 0-0 ACC) to victory against the Lancers (4-2, 0-0 Big South) in commanding fashion.

It had been 33 years since a player recorded a triple-double on the Virginia women’s basketball team before then-sophomore Kymora Johnson became the second Cavalier to do so last February. 

Dawn Staley was the first, notching a pair of triple-doubles in the 1991 season, a campaign that led Virginia to earn the NCAA national runner-up title. 

Levy became the third player in Virginia women’s basketball history to record a triple-double, with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. With a career-high in assists and her first triple-double, Levy became the fourth player in Virginia program history and one of only four in NCAA Division I this season to achieve the feat.

Virginia’s pace wore down Longwood’s effort early. After the Lancers got off to a hot 4-0 start in the first, the Cavaliers scored a quick seven points in less than 90 seconds and never looked back. 

Despite Longwood battling back in the second quarter and just one point away from outscoring Virginia 16-15, the Cavaliers still maintained a substantial lead at halftime, 47-29. 

Graduate forward Caitlin Weimar provided a massive boost off the bench, finishing the first half as the team’s top scorer. She finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds, recording her first double-double with the Cavaliers and the 46th of her career. Graduate guard Jillian Brown also had her best night of the season, hitting three three-pointers with nine points, while adding seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. 

Junior Kymora Johnson led all scorers, dropping 23 points on nine of 15 shooting and knocking down five three-point shots — all in 26 minutes of play. One of those shots from deep sealed Levy’s historic triple-double in style. It came as a result of Levy’s inbounds pass, which Johnson drilled from the corner for three with eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter. This also marked Johnson’s third game of the season with 20 or more points.

Virginia’s ability to stay together and fight for every possession has been the driving factor for the team's success all season. Following a dominating performance on the boards against Radford, the Cavaliers once again overpowered their opponents in rebounding. Virginia recorded 58 rebounds compared to Longwood’s 18. The Cavaliers picked up more offensive rebounds with 24 than the Lancers in total. 

Shooting 52 percent from the floor and 46 percent from the three-point line, Virginia was impressively efficient in taking high-percentage jumpers and getting in the lane — doubling Longwood’s scoring margin. The Cavaliers were not only efficient shooters but also shared the ball seamlessly. They stacked up 28 assists in the game — their highest of the season by a considerable margin. 

Levy’s historic night is a testament not only to her elite scoring and unselfish play but also to the team’s collective effort that made this milestone one to remember.

In its first game away from John Paul Jones Arena, the Cavaliers traveled to Niceville, Fla., after a few days off for the kickoff of the second annual Emerald Coast Classic in Raider Arena. Virginia cruised to victory 69-48 against Northwestern State (3-3, 0-0 Southland). 

After an ascendant team performance Thursday against Longwood, which resulted in the fourth triple-double in Virginia women’s history by Levy, the Cavaliers went into this game ranked No. 2 in the nation in scoring defense, limiting their opponents to an average of 45 points per game.

Against the Lady Demons Monday, the message was clear — maintain the momentum and strike first.

“I think it’s always difficult to get that first game in. We had a long trip and got in on Saturday,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “My message is that we never take anyone lightly, and you definitely can’t on neutral courts. A lot of teams get upset on neutral courts, so I just wanted us to be the aggressor and assert ourselves early.”

After a quick 5-0 start for Virginia, the first quarter turned into a shooting slog for both teams, ridden with stagnant offense and long scoring droughts. Though the quarter ended with the Cavaliers completing their last three field goal attempts, they led only 17-13, while shooting a poor 30 percent from the floor. Virginia was also outrebounded by four in the quarter, partially due to senior forward Tabitha Amanze picking up two personals early. 

The droughts continued in the second quarter, despite starting the quarter with a swish from behind the arc by junior guard Kymora Johnson, who played all 20 minutes of the first half. Virginia broke out of the drought midway through the second quarter by relying on drives to the lane in transition. The Cavaliers completed three layups in a row to give them a 10-point lead at halftime, 30-20. 

In the second half, the Cavaliers began finding their rhythm offensively. Even with Johnson only logging three minutes in the second half, Virginia’s performance did not falter. Shooting eight of nine to end the third quarter, the Cavaliers were dominant in their on-ball pressure and bench depth. Junior guard Olivia McGhee was key in spotting her teammates in transition, adding two assists, and junior guard Raiane Dias Dos Santos greatly contributed on both ends with nine points, two steals and one block.

Freshman guard Gabby White was a threat in the second half, finishing with strength at the rim and bringing the hustle defensively. She finished with a college career-best of 13 points, six rebounds and two steals. Senior guard Jillian Brown also continued to deliver impressive shooting flashes, going perfect from the floor with 10 points in 20 minutes.

Despite an average shooting night for the Cavaliers at 42 percent from the floor, they allowed the Lady Demons zero opportunities to make the game competitive. Northwestern State forward Vernell Atamah averaged 23.5 points per game before facing Virginia, but the team held her to just seven points and forced five turnovers. The Cavaliers also drove Northwestern State into a massive scoring drought that lasted nearly the entire final five minutes, as the Lady Demons made only one of their last eight field goal attempts.

The resounding win was a full-bench and full-team effort. Agugua-Hamilton played the entire available roster against the Lady Demons, giving bench players their time to shine while resting the starters for their first true test.

Virginia will face its first Power Four matchup against undefeated Nebraska in the Beach Bracket championship game of the Emerald Coast Classic Tuesday at 8:30 p.m.

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