Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
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SPRING 2024 19 at South Carolina, dropped Johnson a line of encouragement after the game on the social media platform X, "Go get the record young wahoo!" One week after UVA's triumph in Tallahas- see, Johnson and the Cavaliers picked up yet another ranked win, this one at home against No. 20 North Carolina Jan. 28. John- son led UVA in scoring with 25 points and Brunelle contributed 14 points with the help of 4 made threes. Virginia was without 2023 second-team All-ACC selection Camryn Taylor and point guard Yonta Vaughn. Entering the game, the Tar Heels sat atop the ACC standings with a 7-1 record in league play. To sweeten the pie, UVA secured the win in front of dozens of alumnae. Among those in attendance for Alumni Weekend were Ryan and former UVA stars Val Ackerman and Wendy Palmer. After dropping its next two contests at then-No. 17 Virginia Tech and versus Clem- son, UVA won back-to-back road games over Boston College and Wake Forest. The win at BC was the 100th of Agugua-Hamilton's head coaching career. At Wake, Johnson cashed in her sixth 20-point performance of the season, finishing with 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Virginia returned to John Paul Jones Arena for a home game against No. 19 Syracuse, which was led by one of the nation's top players in Dyaisha Fair (33 points) and Agugua-Hamilton's college coach at Hofstra, Felisha Legette-Jack, who was named this year's ACC Coach of the Year. At halftime, UVA recognized Ryan as its annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day honoree in front of 6,619 fans, a season high at the time. Johnson and the Cavaliers won three of their last four contests. After taking down Miami 77-60 at JPJ when Johnson scored a game-high 21 points, UVA knocked off No. 20 Louisville 73-68 on the road. John- son made a pair of free throws with six seconds remaining to give the Hoos a two- possession lead before making a steal on the ensuing Cardinal inbound pass. The loss marked the Cardinals' first at home to an unranked ACC opponent since they joined the league in 2014. ONE TO REMEMBER After a loss at Duke, the regular season culminated when the Hoos welcomed in- state rival and No. 5 Virginia Tech in front of a record crowd of 11,975. "I'll never forget that game," Johnson said. It was certainly one to remember as it featured 11 lead changes, 10 tied scores, and neither team ever led by more than six points. It had everything a fan could have wanted: drama, a rivalry, star players trading baskets and the underdog prevailing 80-75. Tech point guard Georgia Amoore, a 2023 honorable mention All-American and the Most Outstanding Player of the Seattle Regional of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, scored a JPJ-record 39 points. But the Cava- liers were in control for the majority of the game, leading for 15 minutes longer than the Hokies did. The victory was UVA's fourth of the season over a ranked opponent, a first since 2008-09. Fittingly, it was also Vir- ginia's Senior Night. Johnson led the Hoos with 21 points and dished out a game-high 8 assists. It marked her eighth 20-point performance of the season, the most among all Cavaliers this season. Upon the conclusion of the regular season, Johnson became UVA's first true freshman to garner All-ACC team honors since Brandi Teamer did so in 2002. She was also one of two true first-years in the ACC to earn all-confer- ence honors. "To be honored like that is unreal," Johnson said. "And to do it in my first year, I was pretty proud of myself, but I don't like to be too much into the rewards and acco- lades. I'm not that kind of person. So, I kind of just took it in and I was like, 'OK, I got business to do now.'" While the accolades are nice, Johnson's ultimate goal was to come to UVA and re- build a program whose rich history is not forgotten. "Coming here, I wanted to put this place back on the map," she said. "I wanted to do everything I could to help promote women's basketball. I think being home, being a hometown kid, I drew in a lot of fans. And credit to [our] team because we've come a long way." Certainly, it seems as though Johnson and the Cavaliers are well on their way. Johnson scored at least 20 points eight times during the regular season, including when she posted 21 points and dished out a game-high 8 assists in front of a record crowd of 11,975 to help UVA defeat No. 5 Virginia Tech 80-75. (Photo courtesy UVA)