WBB Opens ACC Play Against NC State

Dec. 20, 2012 | 7:05 p.m. | Coral Gables, Fla. | BankUnitedCenter
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Miami 7-2 (0-0 ACC)
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THE GAME 
After an impressive run throughtheir non-conference slate, the No. 23 Miami Hurricanes return to the BankUnitedCenter for their Atlantic Coast Conference opener against the visiting NC StateWolfpack Thursday night. Tipoff for the game is set for 7:05 p.m.

Despite dropping itsrecent matchup with Rutgers, Miami enters its conference opener boasting a 7-2overall record and an impressive win over then-No. 6 Penn State in an ACC/BigTen Challenge matchup back on Nov. 29. After falling to No. 10 Tennessee, theHurricanes reeled off five straight wins and a UM Thanksgiving Tournamentchampionship before falling to the Scarlet Knights. The annual UM HolidayTournament (Dec. 28-29) includes two more non-conference opponents before Miamifully switches gears into its conference schedule.

After a three-gamelosing streak, the Wolfpack (7-4) have reeled off back-to-back wins over Elonand Presbyterian heading into Thursday’s showdown. NC State is paced by juniorforward Kody Burke (15.1 points, 7.6 rebounds), senior guard Marissa Kastanek(12.1 points) and junior center Markeisha Gatling (10.1 points, 6.1 rebounds).The Wolfpack own a 6-1 home record, but have lost their only game on the road -a Dec. 2 matchup with LSU in Baton Rouge, La.

Shawnice Wilsonenjoyed a breakout game in last season’s rendition, guiding the Hurricanes to a73-61 victory with a 17-point, 17-rebound effort.

GREAT GAME, GREAT SEASON
Morgan Stroman may have had her thebest game of her career on Dec. 8 against Davidson. The senior recorded the19th double-double of her career with 17 points and 13 rebounds. However, shefilled the stat sheet, leading the Canes with a career-high six assists, four blocksand four steals.

On the season,Stroman leads the team with 12.0 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 2.0blocks per game.

CANES HAND PENN STATE FIRST LOSS   
Sixth-ranked PennState came to the BankUnited Center on Nov. 29 with a perfect 5-0 record.However, the Hurricanes forced the Lady Lions into 20 first-half turnovers andheld on for a 69-65 victory.

Morgan Stroman ledthe Canes with 15 points and five steals, while Stefanie Yderstrom and MichelleWoods added 13 and 11 points, respectively.

At No. 6, Penn Statewas a the second-best ranked team Miami has ever defeated (No. 5 Maryland -2012).

UM THANKSGIVING TOURNAMENT HONORS
Seniors Stefanie Yderstromand Morgan Stroman were recognized for their outstanding play in leading theHurricanes to a UM Thanksgiving Tournament title with wins over FAU andRadford.

Yderstrom led allscorers with 19 points against FAU and Stroman finished each contest with 11rebounds. Against Radford, Stroman also poured in 22 points, just one shy ofher career-best. It was her first double-double of the season. For her efforts,Stroman was named the tournament’s MVP, while Yderstrom earned all-tourneyhonors.

NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP FOR WOODS
In her first game of the 2012-13season, sophomore Michelle Woods hit five three-pointers on her way to acareer-best 19 points. In the very next game, the guard from Naples, Fla.,scored a new career-best of 20 points in a 69-63 win at Richmond.

Woods came on strongin the second half of Miami’s loss to Tennessee, helping the Canes erase a27-point deficit, scoring a team-high 17 points. After nine games, the guard isaveraging 10.0 points per game, good for third on the team.

A GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION      
Junior Maria Brownmade her first career start in the UM Thanksgiving Tournament final againstRadford. The forward responded with eight points and nine rebounds.

On the season, Brownis averaging 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game and is shooting 46 percentfrom the floor.

GETTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT
After their rout of UNF, theHurricanes are 32-9 in season-opening games and are a combined 24-3 when theyopen the season at home, including a perfect 8-0 record when opening the seasonat the BankUnited Center.

MEIER ENTERS EIGHTH SEASON AT MIAMI
In 2012-13, head coach Katie Meierand her staff will begin their eighth year at the helm in Coral Gables. TheHurricanes advanced to the NCAA tournament second round for the secondconsecutive season, finishing second in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a14-2 record. Overall, Miami finished with a 26-6 record, the third straight20-win season for Meier.

BIG-TIME TEAM ON THE SMALL SCREEN
The Jan. 6 meetingwith Virginia will be the first of nine regular season games that will betelevised this season.

HITTING THE BOOKS
Stefanie Yderstrom has been namedto the ACC All-Academic Team each of the last two seasons. The senior is asports administration major, has earned an overall 3.28 GPA and a was named tothe dean’s list last semester with a 3.66 GPA.

RETURNING ALL-ACC PERFORMERS
Miami returns two All-ACC playersfor the 2012-13 campaign. Sharp-shooting point guard Stefanie Yderstrom earnedthird-team conference honors last season, leading the ACC with 68 3-pointers.Morgan Stroman was well on her way to earning conference honors for the secondconsecutive season. However, midway through the season, the 2009 McDonald’sAll-American tore her Achilles tendon, ending her junior campaign. As asophomore, the forward earned third-team honors.

1,000 POINT CLUB                           
Miami senior MorganStroman became the 22nd Hurricane to score 1,000 points in her career, as shescored seven points against FAU in the first game of the UM ThanksgivingTournament. Riquna Williams and Shenise Johnson were the last two Canes tosurpass the milestone.

Senior StefanieYderstrom is just 75 points shy of becoming the 23rd player in program historyto join the club.

STARTING A NEW STREAK
Prior to its Nov. 18 loss vs. No.20 Tennessee, the Hurricanes held the nation’s second-longest home win streakat 41 games. Miami had gone 1,001 days without dropping a game inside the BankUnitedCenter. Since the  loss, Miami has won fivestraight home games.

WELCOME BACK
In her first game onthe court since an Achilles’ tendon tear midway through the 2011-12 season,senior forward Morgan Stroman scored 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and led herteam with eight rebounds.

UM STUDENT-ATHLETES SET GSR RECORD                                           
The University ofMiami recorded a department-wide school-record Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of93 percent, according to the rates released Oct. 25 by the NCAA.

As a department,Miami’s 93 percent GSR ranks fourth among ACC schools and is eighth overallamong FBS schools. Overall, the University of Miami athletic department hasimproved from 77 to 93 percent from 2005 to 2012, a year after UMstudent-athletes posted a then-record 89 percent GSR in 2011. UM has exceededthe NCAA average GSR in each of the last eight years.

Six UM teamscompiled GSR marks of 100 percent; men’s diving and golf posted its eighthconsecutive perfect GSR mark, while women’s tennis recorded its fifth straightGSR score of 100 percent. Also adding perfect GSR scorers were women’s rowing,women’s golf, women’s swimming and volleyball.

The most recentDivision I Graduation Success Rates are based on the four entering classes from2002-2003 through 2005-06.

UM BRINGS IN 11TH-RANKED CLASS           
Head coach KatieMeier officially announced the program’s signees on Nov. 15. The group,comprised of three high school standouts, is Adrienne Motley (Newport News,Va.), Nigia Greene (Atlanta, Ga.) and Jessica Thomas (Gainesville, Fla.). Thetrio will join the Hurricanes for the 2013-14 academic year.

Motley, a 5-9 guardfrom Woodside High School, has been ranked the No. 27 overall prospect and theseventh best point guard in the nation by ESPN HoopGurlz.

Greene is afour-star prospect according to ESPN HoopGurlz. She is ranked No. 41 overall,and the ninth-best guard in the nation.

Thomas is ranked the48th best point guard in the nation by ESPN HoopGurlz. In 2011, the 5-6 guardled the Buchholz High School Bobcats to the semifinals of the Florida GirlsState Basketball Playoffs. She is the younger sister of Hurricane legend LamarThomas.

A PREMIER SCHEDULE
In addition to the always excitingACC schedule, Miami welcomes two top-ranked programs to the BankUnited Center.On Nov. 18, the Canes faced Tennessee for the second consecutive season. Thenon Nov. 29 No. 6 Penn State made the trip to Coral Gables as part of theACC/Big Ten Women’s Basketball Challenge.

THE NEWCOMERS
The Canes welcome freshmen CapriceDennis (G, 5-9) from Detroit, Keyona Hayes (F, 6-1) from Marietta, Ga., andMacy Keen (C, 6-6) from nearby Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., to the 2012-13 squad.

In their debuts,Dennis finished the night with five points, three assists and two steals. Hayeshad four points and Keen added three rebounds and a free throw.

BIG INSIDE PRESENCE
The Hurricanes saw their 6-6center, Shawnice Wilson in action for the first time last season after shetransferred from Pitt. The Pittsburgh native started to come into her own latein the season and against NC State (Feb. 16), she secured her first double-doublewith 17 points and 17 rebounds. It was the first win for the Canes at ReynoldsColiseum.

STEPPING UP
Before Stroman’s injury lastseason, Yderstrom averaged 9.1 points per game and scored in double figures innine of 19 games. In the final 13 games of the season, the Swede scored indouble digits nine times, twice setting her career high with 22 points vs.Virginia Tech, then 26 at No. 8 Maryland. The guard averaged 13.5 points andconnected on 28 3-pointers.

FORMER STARS IN THE WNBA
In April, Miami’s Shenise Johnsonand Riquna Williams were selected by the San Antonio Silver Stars and the TulsaShock with the fifth and 17th picks, respectively, in the 2012 WNBA Draft.Johnson and Williams became the third and fourth players in Miami’s history tobe selected in the WNBA Draft. Williams was named to the 2012 WNBA All-RookieTeam.

CANES ENTER SEASON IN THE POLLS
For the secondconsecutive season, the Hurricanes enter their year with a spot in each the APand the ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls. Miami was ranked No. 23 in the coachesand No. 24 in the AP according to the voters. UM is currently ranked No. 23 inthe coaches and No. 21 in the AP polls.

HISTORIC DEFENSIVE EFFORT    
The Hurricanes heldUNF to just 24 points on 14 percent shooting in the season-opening 77-24victory. The 24 points allowed in UM history against an NCAA opponent.

CANES GIVE BACK
Miami women’sbasketball played host to its annual Thanksgiving tournament Nov. 23-24 and theCanes took some time away from the court to give back to those in need.

Head Coach KatieMeier and her coaching staff and players partnered with the Miami Coalition forthe Homeless to feed over 200 of the Coalition’s members from various sheltersthroughout the city.

Those traveling withthe Coalition enjoyed the game between the Hurricanes and Florida Atlantic.Immediately afterwards, Coach Meier, Miami players and coaches joined the MiamiCoalition for the Homeless in the BankUnited Center Multi-Purpose Room for ameal.

STATS AREN’T EVERYTHING, BUT…
The Canes dominatedcertain statistical categories in the season-opening win against UNF:outscoring their opponent 42-4 in the paint; holding a 43-8 advantage in pointsoff turnovers and forcing 34 turnovers.