The Virginia Cavaliers edged out the Arizona State Sun Devils by the tiniest of margins in the First Four round at the NCAA Tournament, 57-55. Kymora Johnson was the key to the game’s victory, with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists.
While the Cavaliers led with confidence in the first and second quarters, with scores of 19-14 and 11-8, respectively, things heated up in the second half of the encounter when the Sun Devils changed gears. Arizona State outscored them 14-10 and 19-17 in the second half, but that wasn’t enough to overtake Virginia in the end.
A very emotional Kymora Johnson, who had broken down in tears by the game’s aftermath, spoke with ESPN after the win and had this to say:
“Yeah, I mean, I’m just so blessed to be in this position. This is what I came to Virginia to do, and everyone else as well. My teammates, they bought in, they believed, and we got it done today, and we are excited for Saturday.”
She was also asked why she went to Virginia, even though the school wasn’t at the top of its game when she arrived there in 2023-24. Johnson told the journalists that she bought into the coaching staff’s plan for the Cavaliers and that their recent victory proves that the plan is working.
The Virginia Cavaliers play the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday at 1:30 pm ET. The Bulldogs have yet to play.
Head Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton Reacts to Virginia Cavaliers’ Win Over the Arizona State Sun Devils
Speaking with the press after the game, Virginia Cavaliers head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton had nothing but praise for her team’s ability to hang in there with the Sun Devils when the going got tough in the end.
“I’m really proud of our players. That was a gutsy performance, she said. “We had to ground that one out. Arizona State, they’re a very physical defensive team. That’s what they’re known for. They make it hard for you to run anything. They really make it hard for 40 minutes. I was just proud of our players, just kind of weathered the storm through some of the adversity we hit in the game, but we were so urgent at the end, and we just stayed together and really was on one accord.”
According to DraftKings, the Cavaliers start as -2.5 underdogs for tomorrow’s game, although the ESPN game predictor tipped the game to be more of a coin flip, giving Georgia a 54.9% chance of winning.
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