Canes Return to the BankUnited Center to Face Virginia Tech

Miami 16-3 (5-1 ACC)
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Virginia Tech 6-13 (2-4 ACC)
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      • Johnson Lifts Canes at Virginia
      • Yderstrom Slams Door on Florida State
      • Canes Courtside: The Shenise Show
      • No. 13 Hurricanes Too Much for Georgia Tech
      • No. 12 Canes Top NC State, 78-68
      • Canes Fall in ACC Opener at No. 25 UNC
      • Hurricanes win Miami Holiday Tournament
                             

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – After escaping Charlotteville, Va. with a 56-53 victory last time out, the No. 11/10 Miami Hurricanes return to action for another conference battle against Virginia Tech at the BankUnited Center on Monday night (7 p.m.).

Though they were projected to finish only eighth in the preseason Atlantic Coast Conference poll, the Cavaliers gave Head Coach Katie Meier’s Hurricanes fits last Thursday night. That’s part of the reason no conference matchup should be overlooked, including tonight’s showdown with the Hokies of Virginia Tech (6-13, 2-4 ACC).

“The margin for error in this league is just so small, and that’s just how it goes,” Coach Meier said after her team’s win. “You come out with any road victory, we’re going to celebrate it.”

With a late injury to Morgan Stroman and an off night from Riquna Williams, it was Shenise Johnson who once again stole the show, recording her fifth double-double of the season with team-highs of 20 points and 13 rebounds. Johnson played a whopping 39 of 40 possible minutes, finishing 6 of 14 from the field and a perfect 7 of 7 from the free throw line.

Johnson, who has more double-doubles than any other active player in the ACC (32), was yet again the key in a close victory against a strong defensive opponent.

“I really didn’t like this matchup, I did not like it,” Coach Meier said after the game. “I thought we were in major trouble. What they do is what we struggle with.”

Though no game is taken for granted in the competitive ACC, the Canes should have a more favorable matchup tonight at the BankUnited Center when they take on the Hokies. Though they possess the lowest scoring offense (49.5 points per game) and scoring margin (-8.6 points per game) in the conference, Virginia Tech does boast one of the up-and-coming talents in the ACC with sophomore guard Monet Tellier (13.2 points per game).

After a grueling victory against the Cavaliers, Coach Meier will need further contributions from some of her team’s “reinforcers” going forward. From what she saw Thursday night from her bench players against Virginia, she seemed confident in their potential to succeed.

“It was Shenise and some kids who aren’t used to playing those roles,” Coach Meier said. “You gotta get excited as a coach and happy for the kids. They got to step in and do some special things.”

Shenise Dazzles in Scoring 2,000 points
Miami’s versatile senior guard Shenise Johnson became the fourth player in program history to reach the 2,000-point plateau. Needing 15 points to reach the milestone heading into UM’s Jan. 15 contest at Florida State, Johnson started the game on fire, hitting seven of her first 10 shots. Her final bucket of the half, a layup coming off of a Seminole turnover, proved to be her 15th point of the game.

Johnson would finish the contest with a game-best 24 points, leading the Canes to victory – the first win in nearly 25 years at Florida State.

A Program First
For the first time in the history of the program, the Hurricanes defeated a Top 5 team. Maryland visited the BankUnited Center on Jan. 12 with a perfect 16-0 record and a No. 5 national ranking.

Miami, behind 34 points from Riquna Williams, defeated the Terrapins 75-63. At the time, Maryland was the highest scoring team in the nation and were also ranked No. 1 nationally in rebound differential. The Canes held the Terps to 21 points below their season average and outrebounded them 48-40.

A Quarter Century of Futility… Over
For the first time since Jan. 29, 1987, the Hurricanes defeated Florida State in Tallahassee. Miami had lost its last nine meetings in the state capital prior to its Jan. 15 win. Miami raced to a 19-point lead, however the Seminoles ralled late to tie the game at 57, but Stefanie Yderstrom nailed a corner three with 17 seconds left that proved to be the game-winner.

On the Verge of Greatness
With just 92 more rebounds, senior Shenise Johnson will become just the third player in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history to score 2,000 points, pull down 1,000 rebounds and dish out 500 assists in a career.

After a nationwide survey it was found that only Stanford’s Nicole Powell (2000-04) and Old Dominion’s Nancy Lieberman (1976-1980) are the only other women to accomplish the feat.

Protecting the BankUnited Center
With Miami’s season-opening win over Texas-Pan American, the Canes won their 25th-consecutive home contest – setting a new program record.

Miami has extended that record to 34 games after its 75-63 victory over No. 5 Maryland on Jan. 12. The streak is currently the third-longest active streak in the nation. Connecticut (95) and Stanford (71) are the two teams with longer active win streaks. Coincidentally, Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer, Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma and Miami’s Katie Meier shared last season’s AP National Coach of the Year Award.

The streak began with the team’s final regular season home game of the 2009-10 season and continued with a perfect 20-0 home record last season.

The previous record of 24 straight wins at home was set from the 1990-91 through the 1992-93 seasons.