A Lot at Stake as `Canes Host FSU in Important ACC Battle
Feb. 23, 2011
Florida State (22-5, 10-2 ACC) at Miami (24-3, 10-2 ACC)
Date & Tip Time: Thursday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m.
Location: Coral Gables, Fla. | BankUnited Center
TV: Comcast Sports South (CSS)
Radio: 560 WQAM – wqam.com
Video Stream: N/A
Live Stats: HurricaneSports.com
GAMEDAY
The No. 12/14 University of Miami women’s basketball team will host No. 14/12 Florida State Thursday at 7 p.m. at the BankUnited Center with a chance to play for the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season championship on the line.
THE TEAMS
Miami is enjoying one of the greatest seasons in program history as it has reached the 20-win mark for just the 10th time in school history. In fact, its 24 wins already on the season is tied for the third-most in the program’s 39-year history.
The Hurricanes currently find themselves in a three-way tie for first place in the conference standings with Duke and Florida State. The winner of Thursday’s game will still be alive for at least a share of the ACC Regular Season Championship.
Florida State currently boasts 34 ACC wins since the 2008-09 season, which is the most of any team in the conference.
Florida State, as is the case with Miami, has used the same starting lineup for every game this season. That streak is tied for the most consecutive games by one starting unit in the nation.
THE NATIONALLY RANKED `CANES
The Hurricanes are now ranked 12th in the AP poll and 14th in the ESPN/Coaches poll. The No. 12 ranking is the highest since the `Canes were ranked sixth in 1992.
Miami was ranked No. 25 in the AP poll for one week last season, but prior to that the `Canes hadn’t been ranked in either poll since the 2003-04 season.
SOMETHINGS GOTTA GIVE
With a perfect 19-0 record at the BankUnited Center this season and a 23-game home win-streak overall, Miami will be facing a Florida State team that is a perfect 6-0 in conference road games this season.
GIMME THAT
With an average of 14.6 steals per game, the Hurricanes rank second in the nation and actually lead the country with a +9.23 turnover margin.
Shenise Johnson, Morgan Stroman and Riquna Williams are the only trio on a single team to average three or more steals per game in the nation. Johnson and Stroman get their hands in on 3.3 thefts per game – tied for the most in the conference and fifth in the country – while Riquna Williams is close behind with 3.1 per outing. The trio ranks 1-2-3 in the ACC in steals.
Miami has scored 27.9 points per game off of turnovers, compared to only 13.7 by its opponents.
IN THE RPI
Miami is one of eight ACC teams that ranks among the Top 50 in the latest RPI rankings.
Rank Team SS Rank
3. Duke 1
12. Florida State 31
13. Maryland 17
16. Miami 66
18. North Carolina 80
24. Georgia Tech 30
43. Boston College 49
49. Virginia 11
106. NC State 38
120. Wake Forest 72
122. Virginia Tech 52
124. Clemson 36
LUCKY NUMBER 7
Juniors Riquna Williams and Shenise Johnson have earned a combined seven ACC Player of the Week honors this season – four by Williams and three by Johnson.
No other school in the conference has more than two weekly accolades on the season.
HISTORIC WINNING STREAK
Miami won 17 straight games overall from Nov. 17-Jan. 24 – the second longest streak in program history and at one point it was the longest active streak in the country.
The Hurricanes have only reached a winning streak of at least 10 games five times previously and it was the first such streak for the `Canes since the 1992-93 season, when they won 10 consecutive games.
The longest winning streak in team history occurred during the 1991-92 season, when Miami won 30 straight games.
DOUBLE-FIGURE STREAK
With 19 points against Wake Forest, Shenise Johnson has now scored in double-figures in 65 straight games – the highest active streak of any Atlantic Coast Conference player.
NOS. 1 AND 2
As of Feb. 24, Miami junior Riquna Williams was leading the ACC with 21.4 points per game. In the conference, the closest person to her is teammate Shenise Johnson, who is scoring 19.7 points per game.
JOHNSON: ALL-AROUND PLAYER
Everyone knows that Miami junior Shenise Johnson is a great talent and there are plenty of numbers to back that up. As was the case last season, Johnson is currently the only player in the ACC to rank in the Top 10 in scoring, rebounding and assists. Below are some of her other conference rankings.
3.3 spg – 1st
.862 free throw % – 1st
19.7 ppg – 2nd
.511 field goal % – 7th
7.6 rpg – 9th
3.6 apg – 9th
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
The Hurricanes are a perfect 19-0 at home this season and have won 23 consecutive games inside the BankUnited Center dating back to the `Canes regular season-finale overtime win over Boston College on Feb. 28, 2010. It is the nation’s fifth-longest streak.
The 23 straight wins at home is the second-longest home winning streak in program history. Miamis only one game shy of tying it longest home game win-streak of 24 games set from the 1990-91 through 1992-93 season.
THREE-POINT STREAK
With nine three-pointers against Wake Forest, the Hurricanes have made at least one three-point field goal in 319 straight games dating back to the 2000-01 season.
100 HURRICANE VICTORIES
Head coach Katie Meier is on the verge of winning her 100th game at the helm of the Hurricanes. In her sixth season at Miami, Meier is just four wins shy of the century mark.
When the 10th-year head coach wins her 100th, she will be just the third coach in program history to reach the milestone.
RECORD WATCH
At 80.3 points per game this season, the Miami offense is on pace to set a new program record. The 1989-90 team holds the current high at 78.5 points per game.
MORE TO COME
National Player of the Year candidate Shenise Johnson ranks in the Top 10 of many categories for career records including points (7th), assists (9th), rebounds (8th), and steals (6th). Johnson is the only player in Miami history to be ranked in the Top 10 of all four of those categories. Johnson will have another year left at Miami after the 2010-11 season, with a chance to add on to her already impressive totals.
DEFENSE IS THE BEST OFFENSE
Miami’s scoring offense is fourth in the nation, which combined with their aggressive, turnover-producing defense has led them to the 10th-best scoring margin (+20.1) in the NCAA and the highest scoring margin in the ACC.
ON THE DOUBLE
Sophomore Morgan Stroman has collected 10 double-doubles on the season, third most in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Six of her double-doubles have come during conference play, which is tied for the most in the ACC.
WELCOME TO THE CLUB
In a special ceremony prior to the UAB game on Nov. 22, Shenise Johnson and Riquna Williams were recognized by Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt and head coach Katie Meier for scoring their 1,000th career-points.
Johnson reached the benchmark during Miami’s WNIT quarterfinal matchup at Providence with a career-best 33-point performance. Williams surpassed the threshold in an 18-point effort against Miami (OH) on Nov. 20.
Johnson currently sits in seventh place all-time at Miami with 1,601 career points and needs 113 points to pass Sylvia Wilson (1979-82) for sixth place. With 1,513 points, Williams ranks eighth all-time.
CHAT WITH FELLOW `CANES
Log onto HurricaneSports.com during Miami athletic events to chat with Miami insiders and other fans about the game and your favorite student-athletes. To join the chat, click on the Cover It Live program found online with each game’s preview beginning 30 minutes before tip-off.
TJ’S HONORED JERSEY
The greatest player in Miami women’s basketball history had her jersey honored prior to the Morgan State game on Dec. 30.
Tamara James’ jersey is just the third to be honored at Miami, joining Maria Rivera (1984-88) and Frances Savage (1988-92).
James still holds the school scoring record at 2,406 points. The South Florida native is the only player from the University of Miami to be taken in the first round of the WNBA Draft, going to the Washington Mystics as the seventh overall pick in 2006.
TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS
The `Canes won their own Thanksgiving Tournament for the fifth time in the last six years. Morgan Stroman was the named the tourney MVP as Miami cruised to wins over FAU and UNC Greensboro. Shenise Johnson was also named to the all-tourney team.
INSIDE THE PROGRAM
The 2010-11 women’s basketball season will be the first to offer multiple social media outlets for fans and loyal supporters of the program to keep current with the Hurricanes.
You can follow all University of Miami teams on Twitter by visiting twitter.com/hurricanesports or follow just women’s basketball at twitter.com/miamiwbb. Fans can also check out HurricaneSports and University of Miami Women’s Basketball on facebook.com to get up-to-date news and information on the women’s basketball program. HurricaneSports.com will also have all the most recent bio information and stats for all the team’s players.
For even more exclusive content – including video interviews, photos and more – be sure to visit the UWomen’s Hoops Blog at uwomenshoops.tumblr.com.
PLAYERS OF THE YEAR?
University of Miami junior guards Riquna Williams and Shenise Johnson have been named to the 2010-11 Naismith Preseason Watch List as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
Williams, known as `Fire’ for her explosiveness and ability to score in bunches is garnering national attention for the first time in her impressive career. Johnson, who has embraced the moniker `Ice’, because of her calm, cool and collected playing style, had previously been named to the Wade and Wooden Preseason Watch Lists.
Never before in program history has a pair of teammates been named to the list, but Johnson and Williams may come to expect national attention like this more often. In arguably the best women’s basketball conference in the country, the duo finished the 2009-10 season as the second- and third-best scorers in the ACC – Williams with 19.6 and Johnson with 19.0. Johnson was also the only player in the conference to rank among the Top 10 in scoring, rebounding (7.7 rpg) and assists (4.6 apg) from her guard position.
In late February, the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors will compile a mid-season team of the top 30 players in the nation. Then in March, the Naismith Trophy voting academy will vote to narrow the list to the four finalists.
ANOTHER HURRICANE FIRST
In its 77-48 win over Clemson on Jan. 14, Miami did something that it had never done since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2004.
The 29-point margin of victory was the largest over an ACC team and the 35 forced turnovers in that game was also the most since joining the league.
`CANES LOVE FREE BASKETBALL
So far this season, Miami has played in two overtime games, both coming against ranked teams. On Dec. 7, the Hurricanes outscored No. 11 Georgetown 13-4 in the extra frame en route to an 81-72 victory.
On Feb. 30, the `Canes trailed by as much as 11 points to No. 25 Georgia Tech but rallied in the second half. In that overtime period, Miami didn’t allow a field goal and outpaced the Yellow Jackets 14-4 in the extra time. In all, the `Canes have outscored its opponents 27-8 in overtime.
Chanivia Broussard: ACC LEGEND
The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its seventh annual class of ACC Women’s Basketball Legends to be honored at the 2011 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament, which will be held March 3-6 at the Greensboro Coliseum. The University of Miami’s representative is forward Chanivia Broussard (2000-04).
A two-time All-Big East selection, Broussard ended her University of Miami career with 1,482 points, currently seventh all-time for the program. She still ranks among the best in program history in made field goals (7th, 621), field goal attempts (7th, 1,398), rebounds (10th, 583), and blocks (3rd, 132). She also ranks highly with single game achievements including field goals made (t-6th, 15), and free throw percentage (t-1st, 1.000, 10-10). She was named to the Big East Second Team after the 2001-02 season and third team in 2003-04. Broussard was also Big East First Team All-Freshman in 2000-01 and a Big East Preseason First Team member prior to the 2002-03 season. As a senior she was second on the team in scoring and rebounding at 15.2 points and 6.2 boards per game. Broussard scored in double-digits in 24 games during her senior season. She became the 15th Miami player to record 1,000 career points, reaching the plateau as a junior. Broussard was the Hurricanes’ leading scorer in both her freshman and junior campaigns. After finishing her freshman season averaging a team-high 13.2 points per game, Broussard was named to the All-Big East Freshman team, the first player in six years to earn the recognition.
JOHNSON PRESEASON ALL-ACC
Miami guard Shenise Johnson was named to the Preseason All-ACC team as announced by the conference office on Oct. 26 from the ACC Women’s Basketball Media Day held at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Johnson becomes the first Hurricane since Tamara James in 2005 to be named a preseason all-conference member.
Preseason Player of the Year
Jasmine Thomas, Sr., G, Duke
2010-11 Preseason All-ACC Team
Jessica Breland, Sr., F, North Carolina
Shenise Johnson, Jr., G, Miami
Carolyn Swords, Sr., C, Boston College
Jasmine Thomas, Sr., G, Duke
Courtney Ward, Sr., G, Florida State
2011 PINK ZONE
The University of Miami participated in Pink Zone® 2011 on Monday, Feb. 21 as they faced Wake Forest and raised breast cancer awareness at the BankUnited Center. An entire evening of events were planned to celebrate breast cancer survivors, further educate fans about breast health and raise money for breast cancer research.
The WBCA Pink Zone® initiative is a global, unified effort for the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s (WBCA) nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond.
MIAMI HOLIDAY CLASSIC CHAMPS
The Hurricanes won Miami Holiday Classic at the BankUnited Center with decisive wins over George Washington and Morgan State.
Junior Shenise Johnson was named the classic’s MVP while Riquna Williams and Stefanie Yderstrom were named to the Miami Holiday All-Classic Team.
A WINNING STATEMENT
The Hurricanes 81-72 overtime win over No. 11 Georgetown on Dec. 7 was the first against a ranked non-conference opponent since Dec. 29, 2005, when Miami defeated No. 25 Ole Miss, 79-70, in the Hurricane Holiday Classic.
A BIG WIN
Miami was dominant in its 82-46 win over Ole Miss on Dec. 18. In fact, the 36-point margin of victory was the largest ever in a game against a BCS Conference opponent on the road and the most in any game since an 80-43 win at home against St. John’s on Feb. 14, 2001.
`CANES INK THREE TO 2011 CLASS
The Hurricanes have signed Michelle Woods of Naples, Fla., junior college transfer Jessica Capers of Gastonia, N.C. and Tyler Hobgood of Oxford, N.C. to their 2011 incoming class.
Woods, out of Naples Community School has been ranked as high as the No. 44 overall prospect by ESPN HoopGurlz and as the 10th best shooting guard by All Star Girls’ Report.
Capers signed to play at West Virginia in 2007, but a knee injury sidelined her for her freshman season. During the Mountaineers’ 2009-10 campaign, the 6-2 forward saw action in 18 games, but she decided to transfer to Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Fla. at the conclusion of the season.
Capers is ranked as the No. 3 overall junior college power forward in the country and 10th overall JC prospect according to the Dan Olson Collegiate Report.
Hobgood, a 6-1 power forward from JF Webb High School enters her senior season with a long list of accolades. She has already been named an all-conference performer on three occasions and has led her league in rebounding each of the last three seasons. Behind her aggressive play, JF Webb has won its conference’s regular season championship three straight years.
You can follow all University of Miami teams on Twitter by visiting twitter.com/hurricanesports or follow just women’s basketball at twitter.com/miamiwbb . Visit HurricaneSports.com and Miami Hurricanes Women’s Basketball on facebook to get all the up-to-date news and information on the women’s basketball team.
