In a hard-fought contest against new ACC competitor California, the Virginia women’s basketball team came up just short, falling 76-70 at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers battled throughout the game Thursday, but a dominant third-quarter surge from the Golden Bears proved too much to overcome.
Fresh off her historic triple-double performance against Pitt on Sunday, Kymora Johnson led UVA with another standout performance, playing a full 40-minute game to finish with 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Latasha Lattimore, who has been a force all season, contributed 5 blocks, tying her single-game career-high, along with 6 points and 4 rebounds.
Paris Clark returned to the lineup to contribute 12 points and 5 assists for the hosts. Edessa Noyan chipped in 11 points, while Breona Hurd and Olivia McGhee added 9 and 8 respectively.
After a strong first half in which the Cavaliers (13-14, 5-10 ACC) took a slim 35-30 lead into the locker room, Cal (22-6, 10-5 ACC) turned the tide in the third quarter with a blistering 17-0 run. Virginia responded with a 12-0 run of its own to stay in the fight as the teams stayed close into the final quarter, but a late 3-pointer from Cal’s guard Lulu Twidale in the final seconds sealed the Hoos' fate.
“We were able to claw back into it,” Virginia coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton said. “Didn’t execute down the stretch. We had open looks and we just didn’t take the shot.”
Rebounding Woes Cost Virginia In Key Moments
One of the biggest factors in the loss was UVA’s inability to match Cal on the boards. The Golden Bears dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Cavaliers 42-31. Despite Lattimore’s defensive presence in the paint, Virginia struggled to secure crucial rebounds, allowing Cal to reset the offense and maintain momentum.
Second-chance opportunities kept Cal in control, particularly during the third-quarter surge. The visitors grabbed 3 offensive rebounds in that frame, including a board that led to a Twidale 3-pointer that made it 44-35 near the end of the 17-0 outburst.
“We turned the ball over, they were scoring, and we weren’t,” Coach Mox said.
Clark, UVA’s second-leading scorer of the night with 12 points, added: “They came out with more energy than we did [in the second half].”
Kymora Johnson, Latasha Lattimore Pitt Follow-Up
Cal made multiple defensive adjustments to slow down Virginia’s offensive attack, particularly dropping into a matchup zone to eliminate 3-point looks. Even so, Johnson found ways to create offense, using her signature hook-shot drives in the final 1:12 to land 4 quick points and keep the game within reach.
Johnson’s leadership on the floor was evident, especially as the Hoos looked to regain composure. Her back-to-back 3’s late in the first quarter had initially set the tone, and her ability to break down Cal’s defense in the fourth kept Virginia in contention.
“I think it was cool to have come out as hot as I did at Pitt, but I kind of pursue every game the same,” Johnson shared. “I just want to come out, lead my team, and do the best that I can at that. I think I did for this game, but unfortunately, we didn’t in the third quarter, and I was a part of that.”
Lattimore, too, came into the game after an electric performance at Pitt last weekend when she earned a career-high of 30 points. She has been a crucial presence for UVA all season, and her performance against Cal showed flashes of her potential. While she contributed across the board, Coach Mox noted the importance of consistency moving forward. Lattimore had 6 points on 3-11 shooting Thursday.
“She’s playing the best basketball she’s ever really played, and we’re just working on consistency,” Coach Mox said. “She’s shown that she can be really aggressive and help the team out a lot. I just think tonight was an off night for her.”
Too Many Turnovers And Missed Opportunities
While the 10 total turnovers were lower than the season average (16.7), UVA’s struggles with turnovers were evident from the second quarter onward. The Hoos had 4 turnovers during Cal’s key 17-0 run in the third quarter and 3 turnovers in the fourth quarter.
Sloppy passing and miscommunication led to unnecessary giveaways, stalling offensive rhythm and giving Cal extra possessions. A particularly chaotic stretch in the second quarter saw both teams exchange lost-ball turnovers within a span of mere seconds, a sign of the game’s frantic energy.
“We just came out flat,” Johnson noted of the third quarter. “We just forced ourselves into turnovers and didn’t get back on defense and made just little errors.”
Despite these setbacks, Virginia had a chance in the final moments. Down just 71-68 with 39 seconds left, Johnson’s aggressive drives gave Virginia hope late. But a dagger three from Cal with under 30 seconds remaining ultimately ended the comeback bid.
The Cavaliers will look to bounce back on Sunday as they continue their West Coast ACC welcome tour, taking on Stanford at home. With just a few games left in the regular season, Virginia aims to shore up its late-game execution and rebounding ahead of the ACC Tournament.
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