As Virginia settles into ACC play, Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton and her squad continue to rely on their height and depth, kicking off the new year with another conference victory.
The Cavaliers (11-3, 3-0 ACC) held off the Tigers (10-5, 1-2 ACC) 73-63 in a back-and-forth clash at John Paul Jones Arena Thursday, Jan. 1, marking Virginia’s first three-game ACC start since the 2017-2018 season.
Despite Virginia shooting 50 percent to Clemson’s 38, the Tigers hung around for nearly the entire matchup, cutting the Cavaliers' lead to four points to start the final quarter. When Virginia extended its lead to 16, Clemson responded with a 14-2 run in the final two minutes, spearheaded by hard drives and capitalizing on the stripe.
Still, Virginia stopped the bleeding.
Junior guard Kymora Johnson drew two crucial shooting fouls with less than a minute left, as Clemson attempted to claw back from a six-point deficit. Johnson’s perfection from the line accounted for eight of 12 of her points, sealing the game. Despite struggling from the floor and failing to score in the first half, the win dug deeper than Johnson’s game-clinching free throws.
Virginia is no longer relying on its star to define its success. The Cavalier frontcourt is full of difference-makers who are impacting the game in too many ways for opposing defenses to contain — especially because of Johnson’s commitment to the pass game. Six-foot-five sophomore forward Adeang Ring made a career high of two three-point shots, including a 24-foot strike assisted by Johnson to create a 10-2 run for the Cavaliers with nearly two minutes left in the first quarter — Johnson tallied up eight of the team’s 18 assists.
Junior forward Sa’myah Smith brought home a double-double on 14 points and 10 rebounds, including three three-point shots. Smith hit more shots from deep Thursday than three-point shots attempted in her previous three collegiate seasons.
Shooting six of seven, senior forward Tabitha Amanze was nearly perfect from the floor, totaling 18 points with 11 rebounds and two blocks — her fourth double-double of the season. With Amanze’s presence and tenacity in the post, Virginia has repeatedly exploited the high-low action with tremendous success.
Senior guard Paris Clark continues to be a motor for the Cavaliers in key moments. Garnering six points and four rebounds, Clark clutched a much-needed bucket for Virginia in a three-minute third quarter scoring drought with a tough take to the rim to extend the Cavaliers’ lead 48-42. Graduate guard Romi Levy impressed in the first half, going three for three shooting, including a pair from beyond the arc. Levy ended the night with 11 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Despite sloppy play down the stretch, amounting to 15 total turnovers, the Cavaliers’ defensive rebounding and free-throw percentage fended off the Tigers’ late-game campaign. Virginia outperformed Clemson in defensive rebounding 26-16, including Smith’s pivotal rebounding effort that enabled Johnson to lock up the bout. Shooting 67.1 percent on free throws this season, the Cavaliers starkly surpassed this margin Thursday at 95.2 percent on 21 of 22 from behind the line. The efficiency allowed Virginia control in the closing minutes — an edge that steadied the squad.
“That was a great team win,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “Up until now all of our wins have been blowout wins, so we've got to win some of these games, and we've got to be in some of these games. I was just really, really happy about our resilience and also how we played well together.”
Hosting the 10-win Tigers at JPJ, an ACC victory to launch 2026 is crucial for a postseason berth. Poise in games like these often separates NCAA tournament teams from those left out in March. The Cavaliers will attempt to maintain their momentum in ACC matchups on the road at Florida State at 2 p.m. Jan. 4, which will be aired on the ACC Network, and at Georgia Tech at 7 p.m. Jan. 8 on the ACC Network Extra.
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