WBB Opens ACC Tournament with Virginia Tech

March 7, 2013 | 11 a.m. | Greensboro, N.C. | Greensboro Coliseum
Live Stats | TV: FS South, FS Florida, CSN-MA, NESN, FS Arizona, FS San Diego | ESPN3 (Outside of ACC Footprint)         

Twitter: @HurricaneSports | @MiamiWBB | @ScottZavitz
Facebook: /MiamiHurricanes | /MiamiWBB

No. 5 Seed Miami 20-9 (11-7 ACC) vs. No. 12 Seed Virginia Tech (10-19, 4-14 ACC)
Roster | Coaches | Schedule & Results | Stats | Game Notes | Record Book | Digital Guide

THE GAME         
• Miami has defeated Virginia Tech twice this season, including this past Sunday when UM won in Blacksburg, 64-46.
• In Sunday’s game, Morgan Stroman recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 18 points and 15 rebounds.
• Also in Sunday’s game, Stefanie Yderstrom sank three three-pointers on her way to 13 points. Suriya McGuire had 12 points and Pepper Wilson had 11.
• The first matchup this season ended in a 68-42 victory for the Canes on Feb. 3.
• In that game, Miami held Virginia Tech scoreless from the beyond the arc and 31.4 percent shooting from the field.
• Also in that game, Michelle Woods poured in 15 points, including three 3-pointers and recorded six assists and five rebounds.
• Miami owns a 10-6 edge in the all-time series vs. the Hokies and has won the last four meetings.

IN THE ACC TOURNAMENT
• The Canes are 2-8 in the ACC Tournament since joining the conference in 2004.
• Four players have been named to the ACC All-Tournament team: Shenise Johnson (First Team – 2011), Tamara James (Second Team – 2005), Riquna Williams (Second Team – 2011), Shawnice Wilson (Second Team – 2012).
• This will be the first-ever meeting with Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament.
• Last season as a No. 2 seed, Miami was upset by Wake Forest in the quarterfinals.
• The farthest the Canes have advanced in the ACC Tournament was the semifinals. Falling in that game to North Carolina in 2011.

OH WHAT A NIGHT
• On Senior Night (Feb. 28), the Hurricanes defeated No. 5/4 Duke.
• Duke was the highest-ranked team the Hurricanes have ever defeated.
• UM beat a Top-10 team for the second time, this season.  The Hurricanes topped then No. 6 Penn State on Nov. 29, 2012.
• Miami beat a Top-5 team for the first time since hosting Maryland on Jan. 12, 2012.
• Senior Pepper Wilson scored 16 points and has 12 rebounds. It was her third consecutive double-double and the seventh of the season for the center.
• Senior Stefanie Yderstrom poured in 16 points and had a season-high five rebounds.
• Senior Morgan Stroman scored 11 points to go with her six rebounds.
• UM’s three seniors accounted for 43 of the teams 69 points (62%) and 23 of its 40 rebounds (58%).
• Krystal Saunders set a career-high in free throws and free throw attempts as she went six for eight.  Her previous best game at the line was vs. Georgia Tech on Jan. 17 when she was four for six.
• Miami beat Duke for the first time in history.  The Canes were previously 0-10 against the Blue Devils.
• Katie Meier spent her college career at Duke (1986-90), it was her first win over her alma mater.

THE HURRICANES’ RESUME
• 20-9 overall record. 11-7 in ACC play. Fourth straight 20-win season.
• Currently receiving votes in the Associated Press poll.
• Ended the regular season in a fourth place tie in the conference standings with No. 23 Florida State.
• Defeated No. 5/4 Duke on Feb. 28. Highest-ranked team UM has ever defeated.
• Currently No. 48 in Realtime RPI.
• Currently No. 50 in NCAA RPI.
• Six of nine losses have come to teams with an RPI of 20 or better. Other three losses are at Rutgers (RPI – 72), at Virginia (RPI – 90) and at Georgia Tech (89).
• According to RealTimeRPI.com, great wins over Big Ten Champ Penn State (RPI – 5) and ACC Champ Duke (RPI – 6), good wins over Davidson (RPI – 88), Virginia (RPI – 90) and Georgia Tech (RPI – 89).
• Conference rankings according to RealTimeRPI.com and
WarrenNolen.com (Big 12, Big Ten, Big East, SEC, ACC).
• The ACC won the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, 7-5, this season.
Currently, the Big Ten is rated as the second best conference. Miami went 2-0 over Big Ten teams this season (Penn State, Wisconsin).
• A 9 seed in ESPN.com and College Sports Madness Bracketology.
• A No. 3 seed in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments.
• No bad losses according to RealTimeRPI.com (No losses outside of RPI of 90).
• Suffered through a four-game stretch (at No. 10 Maryland, at No. 18 FSU, vs. No. 11 UNC, at Wake Forest) when flu hit the team/coaches/support staff.

ALL-ACC PERFORMERS
• Morgan Stroman (Blue Ribbon Panel, ACC Coaches) and Stefanie Yderstrom (ACC Coaches) named First Team All-ACC this season.
• Shawnice Wilson was named ACC Player of the Week after leading Canes to win over No. 5/4 Duke, with her 7th double-double, and Virginia Tech (March 4).
• Morgan Stroman and Keyona Hayes were named ACC Player and Freshman of the Week, respectively (Feb. 11).
• It was the first time that Miami swept the weekly awards since Jan. 11, 2010.
• Stroman scored 24 points, grabbed a career high-tying 16 rebounds and led Miami with four assists at Clemson (Feb. 7).
• Stroman led UM with 16 points vs. No. 19 FSU (Feb. 10)
• Hayes averaged a double-double on the week with totals of 20 points and 20 rebounds. Her fourth double-double of the season came at Clemson, where she scored 12 pts. and grabbed 10 boards.

YDERSTROM STEPPING UP HER SENIOR SEASON
• Senior was named First Team All-ACC this season.
• Yderstrom has reached double-figure scoring in 20 games this season.
• 39 3-pointers have come in ACC play – ranks No. 5 in ACC.
• 225 career 3s is second all-time at Miami (Riquna Williams, 272).
• 86% career FT shooter – best in school history.               
• 89.0% from the line this season (65-73), best in the ACC. 92.5% in conference play (37-40).
• In ACC play, 3rd in conference in 3FG% at 41%.
• Leads team in assists (2.4), 2nd in scoring (12.3).
• Has started 104 consecutive games.
• Part of senior class that has claimed 96 career wins – second-most in program history.

GREAT GAME, GREAT SEASON
• Senior was named First Team All-ACC this season.
• Morgan Stroman scored a career-best 28 points vs. UNC (Jan. 27).
• Leads Miami with 8 double-doubles on season, has 25 for her career.
• Leads UM in scoring (13.0), rebounds (8.6), steals (1.8) and blocks (1.2).
• Double digit rebounds in 10 games this season.
• 5th all-time at UM in FT attempts (561), 6th 853 rebounds, 96 blocks and in FTs made (388) and  8th with 267 steals.
• Missed second half of last season with torn Achilles’.
• Part of senior class that has claimed 96 career wins – second-most in program history.

PEPPER TOO HOT FOR NC STATE TO HANDLE
• Shawnice “Pepper” Wilson has faced NC State 4 times since transferring to UM after her sophomore season.
• Averaged 11.5 points and 13 rebounds in those games.
•Then career-best 17 points and 17 rebounds at NC State as a junior.
•On the season, has reached double figure scoring in 15 games and double-digit rebounds in 10.
•Wilson has recorded a double-double in three of the last four games.
•Wilson was named the ACC Player of the Week for her performances against Duke and Virginia Tech to close out the season. It was her first ACC weekly honor.

PLAY 4KAY
• The Canes’ annual Play 4Kay game was Feb. 10 vs. FSU.
• For the first time, UM wore pink uniforms in the annual contest in an effort to raise breast cancer awareness.
• The game was televised on CSS.
• All proceeds from t-shirt sales went to the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

MEIER TO LEAD TEAM USA U19 SQUAD
• Katie Meier named head coach of 2013 USA U19 team that will compete in FIBA World Championship.
• Meier led 2012 USA U18 Women’s National Team to a perfect 5-0 mark and the gold medal at the 2012 FIBA Americas U18 Championship.
• Trials to select the 12-member USA squad will be held May 16-19.
• The 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship, will be hosted by Lithuania from July 18-28 in Klaipeda and Panevė?ys.

TOUGH TO BEAT AT THE BANKUNITED CENTER
• Miami has won 54 of its last 57 games inside the BankUnited Center.
• The only losses have come to No. 20 Tennessee (Nov. 18, 2012), No. 11 North Carolina (Jan. 27, 2013), and No. 19 Florida State (Feb. 10, 2013).   
•Prior to its loss to UNC, Miami hadn’t dropped a home ACC game since Feb. 21, 2010 to Georgia Tech, a span of 1,072 days.
•The Canes have defeated two Top 10 teams at home this season, No. 6 Penn State (Nov. 29) and No. 4 Duke (2/29).

SURIYA MCGUIRE: MS. BIG SHOT            
• Suriya McGuire has scored 2 game-winning baskets this season.
• First came with 14 seconds left over then No. 6 Penn State (Nov. 29).
• Second game with 5 seconds left at Wake Forest (Jan. 24).
• McGuire scored a career-best 17 points vs. Wake.
• Second on team in assists (2.3) and steals (1.4).

1,000 POINT CLUB                           
• Morgan Stroman and Stefanie Yderstrom have reached 1,000 career points this season.
• Stroman reached on Nov. 23 vs. FAU, became the 22nd player in UM history to do so.
• Yderstrom reached on Jan. 3 vs. Clemson.
• Currently with 1,336 points, Stroman ranks 12th in school history, while Yderstrom’s 1,187 points rank 15th.

BIG-TIME TEAM ON THE SMALL SCREEN
• 10 regular season games to be televised this season.
• Miami vs. Virginia Tech on March 7 in the first game of the ACC Tournament will be the 11th.

CANES HAND NO. 6 PENN STATE FIRST LOSS      
• Then No. 6 Penn State fell 69-65 on Nov. 29 at the BankUnited Center for their first loss.
• Miami forced Lady Lions into 20 first-half turnovers.
• Stroman led the Canes with 15 points and 5 steals.
• Yderstrom and Woods added 13 and 11 points.
• 2nd-highest ranked team UM has ever defeated (No. 5 Maryland – 2012).
• Penn State went on to win the Big Ten regular season championship.

UM HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT HONORS
• Consecutive 18-point efforts vs. Central Connecticut State and Wisconsin led Stefanie Yderstrom to be named tournament MVP
• Shawnice Wilson totaled 16 points and 19 rebounds while freshman Keyona Hayes picked up her third double-double (11 points, 15 rebounds) of the season against the Blue Devils. Each earned a spot on the all-tournament team.

GETTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT
• After rout of UNF, the Hurricanes are 32-9 in season-opening games.
• UM is a combined 24-3 when they open the season at home, including a perfect 8-0 record when opening the season at the BankUnited Center.

HITTING THE BOOKS
• Named 2013 Capital One Academic All-District
• Named 2013 ACC Post-Graduate Scholarship Recipient
• Stefanie Yderstrom named to the ACC All-Academic Team each of the last two seasons.
• Sports administration major, has earned an overall 3.28 GPA and  was named to the dean’s list last spring with a 3.66 GPA.

MEIER IN EIGHTH SEASON AT MIAMI
• Katie Meier and her staff are in their 8th year at the helm in Coral Gables.
• Four straight 20-win seasons for Meier and the Canes
• UM advanced to the NCAA tournament 2nd round for the 2nd
consecutive season in 2012
• Canes finished 2nd in ACC with a 14-2 record in 2011-12
• Miami finished with a 26-6 record.
• Meier has been named the head coach of the 2013 USA U19 team that will compete in the FIBA World Championships.

UM THANKSGIVING TOURNAMENT HONORS
• Morgan Stroman was named Tournament MVP.
• Stroman had 11 rebounds in each game (Radford, FAU).
• Stroman score a then season-best 22 points vs. Radford.
• Stefanie Yderstrom led all scorers with 19 points against FAU and was named to the all-tournament team.

UM STUDENT-ATHLETES SET GSR RECORD           
• The University of Miami recorded a department-wide school-record Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 93 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 overall among FBS schools. Overall, the University of Miami athletic department has improved from 77 to 93 percent from 2005 to 2012, a year after UM student-athletes posted a then-record 89 percent GSR in 2011. UM has exceeded the NCAA average GSR in each of the last eight years.
• Six UM teams compiled GSR marks of 100 percent; men’s diving and golf posted its eighth consecutive perfect GSR mark, while women’s tennis recorded its fi fth straight GSR score of 100 percent. Also adding perfect GSR scorers were women’s rowing, women’s golf, women’s swimming and volleyball.
• Volleyball posted a perfect score for the second consecutive year, while both rowing and women’s swimming set program-record highs for GSR.
• Football jumped six points from 88 to 94 in 2012, tying for the third-highest GSR score among FBS schools and improving by 27 points (67 to 94) from 2010. Baseball had the largest jump of any UM program, improving by 20 points (60 to 80).
• The most recent Division I Graduation Success Rates are based on the four entering classes from 2002-2003 through 2005-06.

A PREMIER SCHEDULE
• ACC schedule expanded to 18 games and four ACC teams rank among the Top 25 in the nation.
• Miami’s out-of-conference schedule included Tennessee, Penn State and Rutgers.
 
THE NEWCOMERS
• The Canes welcome freshmen Caprice Dennis (G, 5-9) from Detroit, Keyona Hayes (F, 6-1) from Marietta, Ga., and Macy 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. Hayes had four points and Keen added three rebounds and a free throw.

FORMER STARS IN THE WNBA
• UM’s Shenise Johnson and Riquna Williams were selected by the San Antonio Silver Stars and the Tulsa Shock with the fifth and 17th picks, respectively, in the 2012 WNBA Draft.
• Johnson and Williams became the 3rd and 4th players in UM history to be selected in the WNBA Draft.
• Williams was named to the 2012 WNBA All-Rookie Team.

UM CLASS RANKED 11TH                  
• 3 high school standouts, Adrienne Motley (Newport News, Va.), Nigia Greene (Atlanta, Ga.) and Jessica Thomas (Gainesville, Fla.), each signed with the Canes.
• The trio will join the Hurricanes for the 2013-14 academic year.
•  Motley, a 5-9 guard from Woodside High, ranked No. 27 overall prospect and 7th best PG in the nation by ESPN HoopGurlz.
• Greene is a 4-star prospect according to ESPN HoopGurlz. Ranked No. 41 overall, and the 9th-best guard in the nation.
• Thomas ranked 48th best PG in nation by ESPN HoopGurlz. In 2011, the 5-6 guard led the Buchholz High to semifinals of the Florida Girls State Basketball Playoffs.
• Thomas recently led her team to the 7A state title and was named the tournament’s MVP.
• Younger sister of Hurricane football legend Lamar Thomas.
• All three members incoming class have been nominated to play in the 2013 McDonald’s All-American Game.

• Motley was one of 20 players named a 2013 WBCA High School All-America honorable mention.