The Plus/Minus: Virginia Women's Basketball Beats Campbell 74-49

Trailing after the first half, Virginia used a sublime second half to blow Campbell off the court in the second, winning 74-49

The Virginia women's basketball team improved to 2-0 on the season with a 74-49 victory over Campbell on Sunday afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena. Val has the Plus/Minus to break down what we saw from the Cavaliers in their second win of the season. 

Positive

A win is a win is a win. There is a lot to like about this Campbell team. They have finished in the top 10 in scoring defense five of the past six years. The only other team that can stake that claim? UConn. The Fighting Camels (seriously, they need a better nickname) took a well-deserved lead into halftime, but Virginia outscored Campbell 45 – 14 over the last two quarters. This was a team that gave up just 51 points per game last year (with just about everyone significant back this year) and the Hoos hung 45 on them in 20 minutes.

Positive

Free-throw shooting. The team went 21/23 or 91%. Last year, the team got above 70% for the first time in three years, and now they’re shooting 91%. London Clarkson, a career 63% shooter from the charity stripe, went 6/6 from the line. As did Camryn Taylor and Jillian Brown. Brown, for her part, has the quickest shooting routine at the line in college hoops. No dribbles, no bounces. She gets the ball and she shoots. And so far, she’s a perfect 11/11 on the season.

Negative

The entire team came out very slow. Campbell took a 10-4 lead, beating the Hoos in transition and getting wide open looks. Virginia’s defensive rotations over the first 10 minutes of the game were nonexistent.

Positive

Then Kymora Johnson took over. She capped a 13-0 Virginia run with three straight baskets. (Second time in two games that she’s scored three straight buckets for Virginia.) The first two were on mid-range jumpers, but with Campbell having to defend her tighter, she took it to the rim for her third basket.

Negative

The quarter break in women’s basketball is the most jarring I’ve seen in any sport. I have seen UConn, Stanford, Louisville, Virginia Tech put up a 20 or 25 point quarter and then go for single digits in the next frame. Campbell outscored Virginia 25-12 in the second to take a 35-29 halftime lead. Some of this was due to Taylor, Johnson and Edessa Noyan picking up their second fouls, and under Coach Agugua-Hamilton’s regime, effectively fouling out of the half and getting parked on the bench. Going up against Clarkson (who had a terrific game overall) and Taylor Lauterbach, Campbell’s Christabel Ezumah torched the Cavs for 9 points and five boards in the quarter.

Positive

The second quarter ended. All quarters do. And Virginia got to take advantage of the halftime break. Campbell scored 25 points in the second, and then scored just nine points in the third and then five points in the fourth. Virginia ramped up the defensive pressure, (wearing down Ezumah had to help.) Not shooting particularly well wasn’t an issue as the team converted 15 free throws.

Positive

Jillian Brown is a glue player, one who just makes stuff happen, and along the way, makes everyone else on the team look good. Brown had a horrible shooting night, going 4/12 from the floor and a goose egg from deep, but she was perfect from the foul line, one of five players in double figures, had seven boards, two very nice back door cuts, and two more blocks. Isaiah Wilkins was a glue guy for two Tony-Bennett teams that earned #1 NCAA seeds. But he never scored like this.

Negative

This is a good rebounding team, but the team has really struggled on the defensive end on free throws. Three times today and twice against UMES opponents have gotten offensive boards off free throws.

Positive

Johnson and Brown look like they have been playing together for years. The chemistry between the two is palpable. And we’re just in the second game.

Positive

The future is bright in Charlottesville. Virginia took the lead for good on a Kymora Johnson pull up in transition. The next play down Olivia McGee hit a three, also in transition.

Let’s just christen them Mo & O right now. They’re going to bring a lot of wins to the JPJ.

Next Up: Virginia hosts William & Mary on Wednesday, November 15 at 7pm. The game will be on the ACC Network.

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