CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW)- Kymora Johnson scored 26 points to help the Virginia women’s basketball team hold off Wake Forest for a 109-103 triple-overtime victory.

“I am just really proud of our resiliency,” UVA coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton said. “We were up by almost 20 points, and we really should have been able to close it out, but this is the ACC and it doesn’t matter who you’re playing. It doesn’t matter what their record is, every team is good, and we relaxed a little bit. We got discombobulated, we weren’t on the same page, and we had to find a way to push through that. We were able to do that, and I’m just very proud of our group.”

Caitlin Weimer and Gabby White each came off the bench to post double-double for UVA, with Weimar posting 25 points and 10 rebounds and White adding 22 points and 12 boards.

Ahead of a rivalry showdown with Virginia Tech this Sunday, the Cavaliers went ahead 40-25 at halftime, only to have the Demon Deacons fight back to force the game into three extra periods.

They went 16 for 17 at the free-throw line in the overtime periods, with Johnson and Weimer each a perfect 6 for 6.

Against younger and smaller opposition, the Hoos made their size advantage count, finishing with 54 rebounds as a team, including 23 on the offensive glass alone, out-rebounding their opposition by 17.   

Milan Brown was the most dangerous player for Wake Forest, finishing with 13 points in the first half alone, and a career high of 30, along with 11 rebounds.  Forward Grace Oliver finished strong with 19 points, and guard Caitlyn Jones was also sharp with 18 points.  Foul trouble depleted their bench as the game wore on, making Virginia’s size advantage more potent.  

After a furious rally from the Demon Deacons, featuring a 7-0 run to cut the lead to one point with 10 seconds to play, another timely Brown bucket from 3-point range tied the game and sent proceedings to overtime.  Three overtime periods later, Romi Levy, White, and finally, Johnson, extended a Virginia lead past two possessions, punctuating a heroic team performance over Wake Forest  

Virginia will battle Virginia Tech from Cassel Coliseum on Sunday afternoon, beginning at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on WINA and here on Cvillerightnow.com.