Kymora Johnson drilled a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 30.6 seconds left to lift Virginia to a 57-55 win over Arizona State in a Women’s NCAA Tournament First Four game on Thursday in Iowa City.
Marley Washenitz’s corner trey with 41.4 seconds remaining lifted the Sun Devils (24-11) into a 51-all tie. But Johnson dribbled to the 3-point arc on the right wing, and a screen from a teammate at the top of the key gave her enough room for a clean look that she converted. Virginia won despite making only 21 of 65 shots from the field (32.3%).
Johnson finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Cavaliers (20-11), who earned a date with seventh-seeded Georgia in a first-round game Saturday in Iowa City. Virginia’s Caitlin Weimar added 11 points and 12 boards, and she hit a pair of foul shots with 11 seconds left.
Washenitz scored a game-high 19 points for Arizona State, which had a chance to force overtime or win after Johnson made just 1 of 2 foul shots with five seconds remaining. But Paris Clark stole the ball from Jyah LoVett just before time expired.
–Field Level Media
