AJ Johnson knocked down six three-pointers en route to 23 points in Saturday’s victory over University of Alabama at Birmingham that snapped a three game losing streak for the Herd. As she has done all season, Johnson displayed confidence in her shooting stroke, letting it fly from beyond the arc with her six made threes coming on 13 total attempts.

That unwavering self-confidence has been a staple of Johnson’s game all season as she has not been shy about launching from deep. Johnson is second on the team in scoring at 11 points per game and has gone 59-185 on three-point attempts this season for a 31.9 percent shooting clip.

Johnson’s most valuable skill is her three-point shooting. Her mental makeup doesn’t allow her to get caught up in the shots that aren’t falling. Although she is just 5-foot-5, Johnson has no issues getting her shot off from deep due to her quick release. She isn’t confined to a catch-and-shoot role as Johnson’s ball handling and quickness gives her the ability to generate the space to get her shot off in nearly every situation. Her combination of quickness and acceleration also make her effective at jumping passing lanes and coming up with steals on the defensive end where she ranks second on the team this season with 32.

Johnson said the coaches tell them to keep shooting no matter what happens or how many shots they miss.

“Just keep shooting and the next one is going to go in,” Johnson said. “They just tell us not to look back and keep pushing forward.”

Bradley Heltzel can be contacted at [email protected]