Virginia headed to the heart of Silicon Valley Sunday for the final stop on its West Coast trip against Stanford. The Cavaliers (18-8, 10-5 ACC) ultimately held off the Cardinal (16-11, 5-9 ACC) in a seesaw of a game, the final score 75-69.
The first quarter started less than ideally for Virginia, which quickly trailed 10-2 to Stanford, its junior forward Sunaja Agara notching five points within the first two minutes of play. Freshman guard Gabby White helped close that gap, though, scoring five points of her own. Still, at just over two minutes to go in the quarter, the Cavaliers had missed all of their last five shots while the Cardinal went for zero of its last four, stalling the offensive momentum of the game.
White and Graduate forward Caitlin Weimar were able to break this pattern, closing in on the Stanford lead to just two points at the end of the first period.
Roughly two minutes into the second quarter, sophomore forward Breona Hurd checked in off the bench — and was a difference maker from the jump. On her first look, Hurd was able to grab the defensive rebound, making a big-time three-point basket to give Virginia its first lead of the game, 16-15. Hurd immediately scored again, the sophomore on fire with five in a row for the Cavaliers, finishing the matchup with eight points.
Now up 27-20, it seemed as though Virginia had found its footing, but the Cardinal was able to keep the game close with its efficiency in the paint. However, White continued to capitalize on tough drives, adding five points, and senior guard Paris Clark got into the scoring mix, also scoring four points in the period. To end the half, junior guard Kymora Johnson charged down the court to hit a buzzer-beater layup, a hopeful foreshadowing of a fiery start to the second half.
At the break, the message was to keep Stanford at an arm’s length as much as possible — though it was easier said than done.
Despite an eight-point Virginia lead to start the third quarter 36-28, the Cardinal tallied 11 points in the first three minutes to bring the score within one point. But just like in the first half, Hurd came in off the bench, sinking a timely three to extend the Cavaliers’ lead to four.
Five minutes into the quarter, tied at 45-45, Stanford had the ball on the fastbreak and looked to have an easy layup shot before Hurd came up from behind with a massive block. This swayed the momentum just enough for Johnson to knock down her first three-pointer of the game in an attempt to build distance.
Virginia began to manufacture points in any way possible, as sophomore forward Adeang Ring, Johnson, and Weimar combined 11 free throws within two minutes. By the end of the third, the Cavaliers led the Cardinal 59-51, entering what they hoped to be an uneventful fourth quarter.
Yet the fourth quarter was in fact the most thrilling 10 minutes of the game’s entirety. As Stanford quickly worked its way back to tie the game at 64 on a 13-1 run, defined by Cavalier defensive lapses, the Virginia offense struggled to find any form of offense until three minutes were left on the clock.
In those final minutes, it became a battle of free throws, sparked by Johnson largely taking scoring matters into her own hands. Johnson finished the game with 25 points — a far from unusual performance for her — and secured the Cavaliers’ win with eight consecutive free throw conversions and went a perfect 12-12 from the line.
Though it was touch-and-go, the Cavaliers were able to squeeze out the win against the Cardinal, 75-69. Virginia was lights out at the free-throw line, going 28-32, and posted 36 points off the bench. Weimar added 12 points and eight rebounds, while White recorded 11 points and nine boards.
Now sitting at 10 wins in the ACC, the Cavaliers have a week off before heading to Louisville Sunday, Feb. 22, at 12 p.m. for their final away matchup of the regular season. Virginia hopes to keep the ball rolling as it inches closer and closer to March.
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