Unraveling the Virginia Women's Basketball Pre-Season Dynamics
Game Against UMES: A Battle of Strengths and Challenges
The women hosted UMES in this crucial pre-season game. UMES, a scrappy team, took early leads of 8-4 and 14-10 in the first quarter. However, the game was tightly contested, with both teams tied at 33-33 at halftime. Despite being a team with only two players over six feet, UMES had the 54th best rebounding differential in the country and dominated on the offensive boards. Virginia faced a challenge as UMES took 11 more shots than them. Ashanti Lynch scored all 16 of her points in the first half, showing her determination to upset the Cavs. But Virginia's second-half response was their best of the year.
In the third quarter, Virginia "won" the battle, outscoring UMES 22-13 and continuing to dominate in the fourth quarter with a 25-18 score. The three-ball started falling for the Hoos as they went 6/13 in the second half after a dismal 2/10 in the first half. This turnaround was crucial in securing the victory.
Coach Agugua-Hamilton's Rotations: A Work in Progress
Coach Agugua-Hamilton's rotations are still in a state of flux, especially at this late stage of the season. Injuries have played a part, with Paris Clark returning and Edessa Noyan shaking off the after-effects of missing six games. Yonta Vaughn missed the game, and Coach Mox has a three-year track record of going 10-deep in her rotations. But in this game, Casey Valenti-Paea, Payton Dunbar, and RyLee Grays only got a total of seven minutes as Mox rode her top seven players in an uncharacteristic manner. Dunbar got her first career start but then disappeared. There's not much time left to figure this out.
Free Throw Shooting: A Mixed Bag
For years, free throw shooting has been a strength of this team, but this season, they have been as unreliable as the men from the charity stripe. Virginia went 20/24 from the line (83.3%) in their best performance of the season. Latasha Lattimore started the season shooting 51%, but she's been on fire over the past three games, going 12/13. This improvement is crucial as it shows her growth and ability to handle pressure situations.
The Impact of Katie Meier's Retirement
Longtime Miami coach Katie Meier retired at the end of last season, and Wahoo fans owe her a debt of gratitude. If she hadn't retired, UVA wouldn't have Lattimore, who has been a revelation these past four games, averaging 17.5 points and 9.8 rebounds a game. She has effectively replaced the loss of Camryn Taylor and had an outstanding performance with 18 points and 15 rebounds on this night. She is also improving at the free throw line and has cut down on her fouls, making her available for crunch time.
Kymora Johnson: A Star in the Making
Kymora Johnson is a true baller. She led the team in scoring (again) with 24 points, even though she was just 2/7 from deep. She's a superb free throw shooter, going 6/6 on the night, and had nine rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Her presence on the court is undeniable and she plays a crucial role in the team's success.
Olivia McGhee: The Potential Bellwether
After Johnson and Lattimore, who will be Virginia's third scorer? It might be Hurd, it might be Clark, but I think the best version of this team has Olivia McGhee as that third player. She's mobile, big for a wing, and runs the court better than anyone. She has a beautiful stroke and possibly the best elevation in the women's game. But she's a streaky shooter. Today we saw both sides of McGhee as she went 5/10 from the floor and 3/6 from beyond the arc. There were two key three-play sequences where she was central. In the first quarter, down 14-10, McGhee hit a three. Virginia blocked a shot and sprung Mo for an easy fast break bucket. Then McGhee got a steal and fed Lattimore for an equally easy three. In the third quarter, up just 45-42, McGhee had a steal and fed Johnson for the break. Next play she deflected the ball, Johnson got the steal and repaid the favor to McGhee on the break. And then McGhee scored on the next possession. When McGhee is on and engaged (remember, she was a coach's decision not to play last game), this team has potential. In terms of this team's ceiling, McGhee is the bellwether.
Next Up: Virginia has one more tune-up game left, Saturday, December 21st at 1:00pm. The game will be on ACC Network Extra.