Between the main entrance at John Paul Jones Arena and the airport-bound bus waiting at the curb, the University of Virginia women’s basketball team had a crowd standing in its way Wednesday morning.
No problem. The Cavaliers were happy to stop for high-fives, hugs and selfies during their Sweet 16 send-off.
These are good times for coach Amaka “Mox” Agugua-Hamilton’s program. The 10th-seeded Wahoos are the darlings of the NCAA Tournament after winning three games in five days, including Monday’s double-overtime thriller over the second-seeded University of Iowa on the Hawkeyes’ home court in Iowa City.
Next is a regional semifinal matchup against third-seeded Texas Christian University on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Sacramento. ESPN will broadcast the game.
Here’s what to know about the Hoos ahead of their first Sweet 16 appearance in 26 years.
[♪ “Best Day of My Life” by Jesse McCartney ♪]
‘Mo’ power to them
Charlottesville has known about Kymora Johnson for years. Now the .
Nicknamed “Mo,” Johnson is a St. Anne’s-Belfield School alumna who is averaging more than 24 points, six rebounds and five assists per NCAA Tournament game. The junior and first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference guard is already the program’s all-time leader in 3-pointers and ranks ninth in career points and fourth in assists.
It’s a full circle kind of story for the former Wahoo ball girl.
Cardiac Cavaliers
Virginia is the first team in NCAA women’s tournament history to advance from the First Four, which began in 2022, to the Sweet 16. Each round has featured heavy drama.
Against fellow No. 10 seed Arizona State University in the First Four, Johnson hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to give the Wahoos a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
In the subsequent games – overtime wins against seventh-seeded University of Georgia on Saturday and Iowa on Monday – the Cavaliers rallied from fourth-quarter deficits of at least eight points.
“It’s March – it’s win or go home,” senior guard Paris Clark said of 鶹ƽ mentality.
Paris Clark shoots Monday during 鶹ƽ win over Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Clark scored 15 of her 20 points after the start of the game’s fourth quarter. (Virginia Athletics photo)
Hoo else?
Clark, a high school All-American who began her college career at the University of Arizona, is part of a strong supporting cast around Johnson.
Clark had 20 points against Iowa, and Romi Levy, a native of Israel and graduate transfer from the University of South Florida, added 14.
Sa’Myah Smith, a transfer from Louisiana State University, scored a career-high 23 points and pulled down 11 rebounds against Georgia. The redshirt junior is playing this season with a heavy heart .
Tabitha Amanze, another Wahoo starter, is a 6-foot-4 Nigerian who transferred to UVA from Princeton University. Like her fellow countryperson, Ugonna Onyenso of the UVA men’s team, she’s a skilled shot blocker, ranking ninth in the ACC at 1.4 blocks per game.
Sa’Myah Smith, middle in No. 5 jersey, is among five UVA players averaging at least eight points per game. The LSU transfer is the team’s leading rebounder. (Virginia Athletics photo)
Mox in March
Agugua-Hamilton is no stranger to success this time of year.
In 2020-21, as head coach at Missouri State University, she led a No. 5 seed to the Sweet 16.
In 2022, she took over a UVA program coming off a 5-22 season. Four years later, the Cavaliers are one win from their first Elite Eight since 1996.
