Virginia Welcomes No. 20 North Carolina for 50th Anniversary Game

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (9-10, 1-7 ACC) returns to John Paul Jones Arena on Sunday (Jan. 28) to host No. 20 North Carolina (15-5, 6-1 ACC). Tipoff is set for noon on The CW and 98.9-FM/1070-AM WINA.

FOR OPENERS

• The Cavaliers are in search of their second ACC win and first in John Paul Jones Arena this season.
• Kymora Johnson was named ACC Rookie of the Week and U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Tamika Catchings national freshman of the week for her performances against Notre Dame (Jan. 18) and Florida State (Jan. 21).
• North Carolina won the first regular-season matchup with the Hoos, 81-68, in Chapel Hill two weeks ago (Jan. 14).
• With an ACC record of 7-1, the Tar Heels enter Sunday’s contest tied for first in the league standings and are riding a four-game win streak.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

• Kylen Mills (play-by-play) and Kelley Deyo (analyst) will have the call on The CW.
• The game will also be broadcast on 98.9-FM/1070-AM WINA, VirginiaSports.com and the Virginia Sports mobile app.
• Live statistics will be located on VirginiaSports.com and the Virginia Sports mobile app.

50^th ANNIVERSAR CELEBRATION

• On Sunday, Virginia will honor and celebrate the 50th anniversary of UVA Women’s Basketball in conjunction with its Alumni Weekend.
• The program will honor dozens of former players and coaches at halftime of Sunday’s game.
• Notable alumnae and former coaches expected to be in attendance include: Sharlene Brightly ’75, Val Ackerman ‘81, Wendy Palmer, ‘96 Telisha Quarles ‘02, Ariana Moorer ‘12, Debbie Ryan (1978-2011) and Joanne Boyle (2011-18).

SERIES HISTORY

• North Carolina leads the all-time series, which began in 1976, 59-34.
• Virginia is 20-18 all-time against the Tar Heels in games held in Charlottesville, Va.
• The Tar Heels have won the last five meetings of the series, including the last three at John Paul Jones Arena.
• UNC has won nine of the last 10 meetings.
• The last time UVA defeated the Tar Heels was on Jan. 25, 2018, when the Cavaliers won 82-70 in JPJ.

LAST MEETING BETWEEN THE HOOS & PITT

• A strong start and even stronger finish propelled the Tar Heels to a 81-68 victory over Virginia in Carmichael Arena two weeks ago (Jan. 14).
• Four Cavaliers scored in double figures, including Camryn Taylor (16 pts, 7 reb), who collected Virginia’s first nine points and went on to lead the Hoos in points for the fifth straight game.
• UNC’s Deja Kelly finished with a game-high 27 points on 8-of-17 shooting.
• The Cavaliers trailed by as many as 14 points with 7:12 to go in the second quarter, but tied the game, 52-52, with 28 seconds remaining in the third.
• The Tar Heels outscored UVA 28-16 in the fourth quarter to pull away.

LAST TIME OUT

• Virginia could not produce what would have been its second straight win after falling 56-52 to Pittsburgh at John Paul Jones Arena this past Thursday (Jan. 25).
• Pitt led by as many as 11 [15-4] in the first quarter and outscored Virginia 24-6 in the third.
• Despite trailing by as many as 17 [49-32] in the fourth, the Cavaliers nearly mounted a comeback after trimming their deficit to as little as four points with under 90 seconds to play.
• For the second straight game, Kymora Johnson led the Hoos in scoring, finishing with 17 points. She was the only Cavalier to score in double figures.
• The win was the Panthers’ first in ACC play this season.

JOHNSON GARNERS WEEKLY HONORS

• First-year guard Kymora Johnson was named ACC Rookie of the Week and U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s Tamika Catchings national freshman of the week for her performance against Notre Dame (Jan. 18) and at then-No. 15 Florida State (Jan. 21).
• Johnson averaged 25.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and shot 59 percent from the field.
• She scored 35 points in the win over FSU, which tied for sixth all-time in program history.
• Johnson is the first Virginia player to be named ACC Rookie of the Week since Kylie Kornegay-Lucas was recognized on Nov. 25, 2019.
• Johnson is one of just two freshmen in school history to achieve that milestone with the other being Dawn Staley, who had 37 points at Wake Forest on Feb. 2, 1989.
• At the time, she was also one of just five freshmen nationally – and the only ACC freshman – to score 35 points in a game this season.
• Prior to Virginia’s matchup in Tallahassee, the last time a Cavalier scored 35 points was on Jan. 21, 2010, when Monica Wright scored 39 points at Boston College.

OLD SCHOOL BASKETBALL

• For games played through Jan. 26, Virginia is eighth in the nation in rebounds per game (45.63), 14th in offensive rebounds per game (15.7), 18th in defensive rebounds per game (29.9) and 17th free throw percentage (78.0).
• The Hoos also lead the ACC in rebounding and free throw percentage.
• The Cavaliers are 9-5 this season when either leading or tying their opponents in rebounding.
• Virginia has been outrebounded in just four contests this season (vs. #7 LSU, #3 NC State, Duke, and #20 North Carolina).
• UVA has shot at least 80 percent from the charity stripe in eight games this season, including its most recent home game against Notre Dame (94.4).

ON THE HORIZON

• Virginia travels to Virginia Tech (15-4, 6-2, ACC), which is currently ranked 19th in this week’s AP top-25 poll, for a Smithfield Commonwealth Clash.
• Tipoff from Cassell Coliseum is set for 6 p.m. on ACC Network.