Virginia women’s basketball made a statement Sunday afternoon and never looked back in a dominant 80–35 blowout against Bucknell at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers (2-0, 0-0 ACC) and their constant defensive intensity plus fast-paced offense completely overwhelmed the Bison (0-2, 0-0 Patriot League). Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton and the Cavaliers cruised to their second win of the season, both by margins of 45 points or more.
Virginia earned the win over Bucknell behind an excellent, two-way performance from junior guard Kymora Johnson, who scored 23 points on nine for 14 shooting, five steals and a block, being a major contributor on both sides of the ball. Freshman guard Gabby White added a career-high 11 points off the bench. The Cavaliers also out-rebounded the Bison 52-23 and held them to just 28.8 percent shooting from the field.
After opening the season with a home win over Morgan State, Virginia came into Sunday’s matchup looking to keep the same momentum and dominance. They did so emphatically. The Cavaliers’ defense set the tone early, not allowing a point until there were four minutes and 53 seconds left in the first quarter, and limiting Bucknell’s offense to just six first-quarter points.
“We asserted ourselves early,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “We were aggressive, physical, defensively we were communicating … and we got to create some offense from our defense. I thought we were just locked in.”
The game also showed a significant early-season improvement in Virginia’s ball security.
“Turnovers have kind of plagued us in our early scrimmages, even in practice, too,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “So having eight turnovers, and really, we had a couple careless ones down the stretch, we probably had like, five or six real turnovers, that's huge.”
The Cavaliers’ 13–0 run to start the game and suffocating defense immediately shut down the Bison. Johnson set the tone offensively, scoring her first 14 of her 23 points in the first quarter as Virginia shot 11-for-15 from the floor in that opening period.
Graduate guard Romi Levy added an early coast-to-coast bucket with a bunch of other early transition scores while being very active defensively. Senior forward Tabitha Amanze provided an impressive double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. By halftime, the Cavaliers led 42–20, energized by their defensive intensity and efficient shot-making ability.
To start the second half, Virginia picked up right where they left off, starting with a 12–0 run. Agugua-Hamilton said that the team takes pride in starting each quarter with a consistent, high level of energy.
“Anytime out of the timeout, quarter, start the game, half, whatever it is we want to punch,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “We want to punch first. So I thought we did a great job of that tonight.”
The Cavaliers’ bench carried the momentum that the starters ignited, highlighted by White’s scoring surge and graduate forward Caitlin Weimar’s physical play inside the paint on both ends of the floor.
“Honestly, it’s just a family atmosphere,” White said. “Coach Mox just likes to play fast, and that's also how I like to play, so it kind of just worked hand in hand.”
Amanze emphasized praising the team’s togetherness in the rotation.
“Everyone that comes in, I feel like, is very ready to play, ready to play, whatever the role is,” she said. “But also just learning from everyone else, like when Caitlin's in, I'm watching things that she's doing, what things that you know she does better, that I need to pick up on. But it's just a good camaraderie, absolutely.”
Virginia will look to continue their successful start to the season when it hosts UMBC Thursday night at John Paul Jones Arena, a school that Virginia basketball is all too familiar with. As non-conference play continues, the Cavaliers will aim to maintain their focus on defense while continuing to build on the success of their fast-paced offense.
When asked to describe her squad through the first two games of the season, Agugua-Hamilton didn’t hesitate to respond. “Competitive, together, and relentless,” Agugua-Hamilton said. Three words that perfectly describe Virginia’s mentality and performance in their suffocating home win.
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