Virginia Shocks Iowa in Double Overtime, Reaches Sweet 16 | NCAA Women’s Tournament

Cavaliers Shock Iowa, Advance to Sweet Sixteen

Kymora Johnson scored 28 points as 10th-seeded Virginia shocked No. 2 Iowa 83-75 in double-overtime on Monday in the women’s NCAA Tournament second round.¹

The Cavaliers (22-11) have won three games in five days, defeating Arizona State 57-55 in Thursday’s First Four game, following that with an 82-73 overtime win over Georgia in Saturday’s first round, and then beating the Hawkeyes (27-7), who were playing in front of a sellout home crowd of 14,332.^{1, 2}

It’s the first time Virginia have advanced to the second weekend of the tournament since 2000. It’s also the first time a 10-seed has reached the Sweet 16 since Creighton in 2022. The Bluejays also beat Iowa in the second round that year to advance.¹

Iowa had chances to win the game in regulation and at the end of the first overtime. Chazadi Wright’s turnaround jumper with one second left in regulation missed, then the Hawkeyes missed two shots at the end of the first overtime, a three-pointer by Taylor Stremlow and a putback attempt by Ava Heiden.¹

Virginia led 28-23 at halftime. The Cavaliers shot just 39.3% in the half, but took advantage of Heiden picking up two fouls in the first five minutes as well as Iowa’s poor three-point shooting. The Hawkeyes were 10 of 32 from the field in the half, but only 1 of 12 in three-pointers.¹

The Cavaliers move on to the regional semi-finals, where they will play third seed TCU.¹

Kymora Johnson’s Impact

Throughout her three seasons at Virginia, junior guard Kymora Johnson has been a key player in the Cavaliers’ resurgence, known for her step-backs and court vision.^{1, 2} Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton noted Johnson’s selflessness, stating, “She is never really going to go out there and be about herself.”¹ Johnson’s 3-pointer with 30 seconds remaining in the First Four game against Arizona State secured a 57-55 victory for UVA.²

Iowa’s Season and Challenges

The No. 2-seed Iowa, coached by Jan Jensen, finished the season 15-3 in the Sizeable Ten and as the conference tournament runner-up.¹ Despite their strong record, Iowa struggled with three-point shooting in the first half against Virginia, going 1 of 12 from beyond the arc.¹