UVA Women's Basketball Smothers La Salle 76-47 | Key Takeaways

Matt Newton | Nov 17, 2024

Virginia Athletic

Virginia women's basketball improved to 3-1 on the season with a 76-47 victory over La Salle on Sunday afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena. Let's breakdown some key takeaways from the Cavaliers' lopsided win over the Explorers:

Another new starting lineup

I remarked after Virginia's 83-41 victory over Radford on Wednesday night that the lineup UVA went with to start that game (Kymora Johnson, Paris Clark, Breona Hurd, Edessa Noyan, and Latasha Lattimore) would be UVA's most frequent and most effective starting five moving forward this season. Well, the Cavaliers used a fourth different starting five in their fourth game of the season, going with a lineup of Kymora Johnson, Yonta Vaughn, Breona Hurd, Edessa Noyan, and Latasha Lattimore with Vaughn replacing Paris Clark, who did not play in Sunday's game. Vaughn made her first start of the season, giving UVA two point guard facilitators and allowing Johnson to play off ball, something Coach Mox is interested in exploring more this season.

Slow start, fast finish

Though Virginia ultimately ran away with this game for a near 30-point victory, this matchup was still very much in question at halftime as the Cavaliers led by only five points, 29-24. Contributing to that close halftime score was UVA shooting 17% from three-point range in the first half, including 1/8 in the second quarter and La Salle outrebounded Virginia 25-22 and recorded seven steals in the first half. The Cavaliers were sloppy with the ball, struggled to execute in the half-court offense, and were getting outworked on the glass by the Explorers.

The second half was a different story, as the Hoos tipped the scales back in their favor on the glass (24-20), cleaned up the turnovers (only six in the second half), scored 15 points off of 11 La Salle turnovers, and shot 40% from beyond the arc. That helped UVA win the third quarter 26-13 and the fourth 21-10 to put the game out of reach.

Read Val's Plus/Minus breakdown of the game here.

Kymora Johnson's sharp perimeter shooting continues

Kymora Johnson's sophomore campaign has gotten off to an excellent start and that extends to many facets of her game, but particularly in perimeter shooting. She shot 4/7 from three-point range and scored 20 points against La Salle. So far this season, Johnson is shooting a clean 50% from beyond the arc (8/16) through four games and has been at or above 50% from three in three of those four games. When Johnson is knocking down her threes, it opens up her drives and allows her to more room to show off her elite passing and playmaking skills.

One concerning note: Kymora Johnson and Yonta Vaughn were a combined 6/13 from deep, but the rest of the team was 2/14. Whether Virginia can punish opponents for allowing open shots from three-point range will dictate how successful this season will be. The Cavaliers need consistency in their perimeter shooting.

Diversity of scoring options

Johnson had 20 points, but she was one of five Cavaliers to reach double figures against La Salle. Latasha Lattimore had her first double-double in a Virginia uniform, posting 12 points (on 4/6 shooting) and 12 rebounds to go along with three blocks and two assists. Though she went 0/3 from beyond the arc, Breona Hurd still had her fourth-consecutive game scoring in double digits to start her career, recording 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal. Despite fouling out of the game, Olivia McGhee poured in 14 points off the bench. RyLee Grays and Casey Valenti-Paea are still trying to find a rhythm and their respective roles on this team, but that's what these softer early-season non-conference games are for.

Up next, Virginia hosts Alabama State on Wednesday night. Tipoff from John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7pm on ACC Network Extra.

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