Johnson, Williams Honored Prior to Leading Miami to Win

By Rob Dunning

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami juniors Shenise Johnson and Riquna Williams were honored prior to Miami’s home game against UAB Monday night for becoming the youngest teammates in school history to reach the 1,000-point club together. If the Blazers weren’t aware of just how good they were then, they quickly found out for themselves.

Johnson and Williams combined to out-score UAB in the first half, 30-27, as the Hurricanes would cruise to a 68-52 win over the Blazers in non-conference action at the BankUnited Center.

Williams finished with a game-high 23 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists, while Johnson added 18 points, five rebounds and three assists in another dominant outing by the All-America candidates. Williams shot 5-of-7 from behind the arc and 8-of-16 from the field while Johnson connected on 6-of-11 attempts on the night.

“Those two have come here and totally changed the face of the program,” Meier said. “They do it together and it is so special that they have such complimentary games. They both are going to accomplish amazing individual goals but the bottom line is they have Miami on their chests and they want to go to the NCAA Tournament.”

The Hurricanes held a 40-27 halftime lead, with Williams pouring in 16 and Johnson 14 before the break. The second half was much of the same, as Miami’s lead stretched to as much as 19 late in the contest.

Coming off a 16-point, four-rebound game against Miami (Ohio), Morgan Stroman had another strong outing with 12 points and seven rebounds.

The `Canes out-shot UAB, 41.5-to-36.1 percent from the field and held a commanding 32-to-12 advantage in the points off turnovers battle. UAB held a slight rebounding edge, 39-to-36.

“It kind of felt like an ACC game in terms of the physicality of it,” Meier said. “For me, I got a lot out of it as a coach. I can trust this team offensively, I can trust them when we need a big possession.”

UAB was led by Jala Harris, who finished with 23 points on 10-of-24 shooting.

POST-GAME NOTES

1,000-Point Club
Late last season, Shenise Johnson became the 20th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point club when she poured in 33 points against Providence in the WNIT quarterfinals. Five games later and three games into the 2010-11 season, Riquna Williams joined her during an 18-point outing against Miami (Oh.) on Saturday. Both players were recognized on the court during a pre-game ceremony.

“I teared up a little bit,” Meier said postgame. “It kind of caught me off guard. It felt like it was senior night or something.”

WNIT Banner Unveiled
In addition to recognizing Shenise Johnson and Riquna Williams for joining the 1,000-point club, members of last year’s team were honored as the team’s 2009-2010 WNIT Runner-up banner was unveiled in the rafters of the BankUnited Center.

Faces in the Crowd
Among those in attendance at the game Monday night were Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt, senior wide receiver Leonard Hankerson and men’s basketball players Malcolm Grant, Julian Gamble, Garrius Adams and Rion Brown.

Thanksgiving Tournament
Miami’s homestand will continue this week as the `Canes host FAU, UNC Greensboro and Eastern Illinois in the team’s annual Thanksgiving Tournament. UM will open the tournament with FAU on Friday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. before facing either UNCG and EIU on Saturday.

Ticket Information
Season tickets are available for as low as $50 for the 2010-11 University of Miami women’s basketball season. Tickets may be purchased online at HurricaneSports.com or by calling 1-800-GO-CANES.