Monday evening, Virginia women's basketball began the 2026-27 campaign with a resounding 87-45 win over Maryland-Eastern Shore .
The Cavaliers led 43-19 at halftime and never looked back. Although Virginia gave up 17 turnovers, the result of this opening contest was never in doubt.
Here are instant takeaways from the first win of the Coach Aaron Roussell era:
Someday, perhaps No. 21 will hang from the rafters inside John Paul Jones Arena. Its wearer, fourth-year guard Kymora Johnson, is making a strong case for that honor.
Johnson toasted UMES to the tune of 21 points (7-11 shooting), along with four assists, four rebounds and two steals. Johnson looked the part of one of the best guards in college basketball to begin the season.
If there's anything to nitpack at, it's that she shot 1-4 from three-point land also committed three fouls. Overall, Johnson had a productive outing in 27 minutes of play.
Entering the season, there were question marks about Asare's fit next to Johnson. In particular, both guards are under 5-foot-9 and like to operate with the ball in their hands. Those concerns, however, were quelled as Johnson did her usual work and Asare still contributed 10 points (3-7 shooting).
Asare somewhat held her own defensively. If she can continue to do so, then this backcourt will be more than fine.
Caterina Piatti and Janae Walker combined for just 10 points and four rebounds. That's not an issue, as their role is firmly labled as supporting cast members. The more interesting conversation revolves around Breona Hurd.
Hurd has one of the highest ceilings on the team, as evidenced by a double-double plus five steals. However, it came on 4-12 shooting (1-5 3PT, 2-4 FT) along with five turnovers and a trio of fouls.
If Hurd can clean things up, she could be a fantastic weapon as a versatile scorer and plus defender.
Beating up on lowly UMES is expected, not a season-changing win. All the Cavaliers had to do was take care of business (which they clearly did). However, there are still questions about the usage of Olivia McGhee and Adeang Ring, plus Tabitha Amanze, when she comes back.
It will probably take a few weeks to truly see the hierarchy of this rotation. For now, it's all hands on cleanup duty during big blowout wins.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/virginia as Instant Takeaways From UVA Women's Basketball's Blowout Win Over UMES .
