CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (Interstat) — A dominant third-quarter surge propelled the Virginia women’s basketball team to a 67-56 victory over Miami on Thursday night in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup at John Paul Jones Arena.

The Cavaliers, improving to 16-7 overall, broke open a tight game by outscoring the Hurricanes 22-12 in the pivotal third period. That run transformed a narrow 25-26 halftime deficit into a 47-38 lead heading into the final quarter, an advantage Virginia would not relinquish.

The most critical sequence came early in the third. With Virginia leading 29-27, the Cavaliers’ defense ignited a decisive 9-0 run. A steal by Tabitha Amanze led to a Paris Clark putback. After forcing a Miami shot-clock violation, Kymora Johnson buried a 3-pointer off an assist from Clark. Johnson then capitalized on a flagrant foul, sinking two free throws, and followed with another 3-pointer to push the lead to 38-27. The Hurricanes, who committed five turnovers in the quarter, managed just one field goal over the first six and a half minutes as Virginia seized control.

Johnson, a sophomore guard from Charlottesville, led all scorers with 18 points and added five assists in 37 minutes. Her backcourt mate, Paris Clark, filled the stat sheet with nine points, three assists and a game-high four steals. Virginia’s interior presence was key, outscoring Miami 28-16 in the paint and converting 20 points off 18 Hurricane turnovers. Caitlin Weimar contributed 10 points and three blocks, while Romi Levy and Gabby White each added 10 points.

Miami, which fell to 12-11, was led by Gal Raviv’s 13 points and six assists. Ra Shaya Kyle also scored 13, and Vittoria Blasigh added 12. The Hurricanes struggled to find consistent offense, shooting under 35% from the field for the game. They kept pace early, using an 8-0 run in the second quarter to take their largest lead at 26-19, but Virginia closed the half on a 6-0 spurt to set the stage for its third-quarter explosion.

The game began as a defensive struggle, with both teams combining for 11 turnovers in the first seven minutes. Virginia led 14-10 after one quarter, but Miami’s second-quarter push, fueled by 3-pointers from Blasigh and Raviv, gave the visitors a halftime edge.

Virginia effectively sealed the game in the fourth quarter by answering every Miami push. After a Blasigh three-point play cut the deficit to 49-52, Johnson responded with a 3-pointer. When Miami closed to within 56-59 with under three minutes to play, the Cavaliers scored eight of the game’s final nine points from the free-throw line to secure the win.

A crowd of 3,709 watched the Cavaliers win their second straight home game. Virginia next hosts Notre Dame on Sunday. Miami, which has lost three consecutive games, travels to face Florida State on Sunday.

According to Interstat’s ELO system, Virginia had a 70.20 percent probability to win the contest.