Virginia Secures First Four Win with Dominant Double-Doubles Display

Virginia’s women’s basketball team beat Arizona State 57-55 on March 19 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. The 10th-seeded Cavaliers improved to 20-11 with the win.

Game summary

Neither side led by more than four points until late in the first quarter. Virginia closed the period on a 7-0 run and led 19-14 after ten minutes.

The Cavaliers cooled in the second quarter but still built a halftime lead. They held Arizona State scoreless on the final seven attempts of the half and went into the break up 30-22.

Arizona State shot well in the third but managed only limited attempts. The Sun Devils tied the game late in the fourth, however Kymora Johnson answered with a go-ahead three. Paris Clark then forced a turnover with four seconds left to seal the win.

Players of note

• Kymora Johnson led Virginia with 17 points, ten rebounds and five assists. She recorded her eighth career double-double and moved into 10th on UVA’s all-time scoring list with 1,651 points.
• Caitlin Weimar added 11 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. It marked her 49th career double-double and her first in the NCAA Tournament.
• Romi Levy contributed 10 points for the Cavaliers. Her scoring helped provide depth throughout the game.
• Paris Clark scored nine points and finished with four rebounds and four steals. She delivered the game-sealing defensive play in the final seconds.

The Cavaliers recorded a First Four win highlighted by a dominant double-doubles display from Johnson and Weimar. The performance combined timely offense and strong rebounding.

Team and coach notes

• Virginia is now 35-25 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and 1-0 in the First Four.
• This was the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory since 2018. It is also the team’s first tournament win under coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton.
• Agugua-Hamilton improved to 4-2 as a head coach in NCAA Tournament games. The Cavaliers reached 20 wins for the season for the first time since 2016-17.
• Virginia outrebounded Arizona State 42-39 and improved to 19-6 when outrebounding opponents. The team finished with six blocks and 11 steals.

What’s next

Virginia advances to face seventh-seeded Georgia on March 21 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton praised the team’s toughness. She credited the players for staying composed and finishing the game with urgency.

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