UNDEFEATED: Thomas Scores 17, Canes improve to 4-0

Miami7750Loyola Chicago

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CHICAGO – The University of Miami women’s basketball team won its second-straight road game Saturday at Loyola Chicago, using a 24-point second period to earn a 77-50 victory.

Junior guards Adrienne Motley and Jessica Thomas led all scorers with 17points each, while freshman forward Emese Hof added a career-high 14 points without missing a shot.

Motley scored Miami’s first seven points of the game in a slow-paced first period. A Loyola (1-2) bucket at the buzzer made it 14-11 Miami through 10 minutes.

The Hurricanes scored 10 points, all in impressive fashion, in the first 71 seconds of the second quarter to take a 24-11 lead. The run opened with Motley making a nice pass to freshman guard Laura Cornelius for a corner 3-pointer. Junior guard Jessica Thomas then made a stellar pass of her own to redshirt junior forward Keyona Hayes for a basket. Thomas followed that with a 3-pointer and then Motley scored on an acrobatic drive to the rim.

Miami went on another 9-0 run later in the period to build a 35-13 advantage with 2:43 on the clock and led 38-22 at halftime. Motley had a game-high 11 points at the break and the Hurricanes limited Loyola to 7-of-29 shooting (24.1 percent) from the floor, including 1-of-9 (11.1 percent) from 3-point range.

Freshman forward Emese Hof led the charge for Miami in the second half, scoring 12 points and pulling down five rebounds after the intermission. The Utrecht, Netherlands native finished the game with 14 points and seven boards, while shooting 6-of-6 from the field and 2-of-2 at the line.

The dominant play from Hof helped Miami continue to build its lead throughout the final 20 minutes until claiming the 27-point win.

Sophomore forward Erykah Davenport led the Hurricanes with nine rebounds, the second-consecutive game she has fallen just one board shy of double figures. She also logged a career-high five blocked shots, while Hayes added in three blocks of her own.

Redshirt junior forward Taylor Manuel paced the Ramblers with 11 points and redshirt junior guard Taylor Johnson chipped in with 10.

The Hurricanes held Loyola to just 19-of-61 shooting (31.1 percent) for the game and to just one made 3-pointer on 13 attempts (7.7 percent). Miami also had a 26-8 edge in points off turnovers.

Miami will continue its road trip Monday at 7 p.m. when it faces Charlotte at Dale F. Halton Arena.

To learn more about University of Miami women’s basketball, follow @CanesWBB.

MIAMI HURRICANES POSTGAME NOTES

·         As has been the case in each game this season, Miami’s starting lineup was Davenport, Hayes, Motley, Thomas and Michelle Woods.

·         This was the first-ever meeting between the Hurricanes and Ramblers.

·         Meier is now 263-179 in her 15 seasons as a head coach, including 187-134 in her 11 years at Miami.

·         Additionally, Meier moves to 3-3 in her career as a head coach in games in her home state of Illinois, including 2-0 while at Miami.

·         This is the second time in the last nine years the Hurricanes have started 4-0, joining the 2009-10 campaign in which Miami won its first seven games.

·         Miami has won its first two road games of the season for the first time since 2009-10 when the team triumphed in its first six. It is the ninth time the Hurricanes have ever won their first two road contests, joining 2009-10, 2007-08, 2003-04, 1989-90, 1981-82, 1979-80, 1977-78 and 1973-74.

·         Both of Miami’s road wins have come by over 25 points.

·         The Hurricanes had over twice as many assists as Loyola, finishing with a 19-9 edge.

·         Motley shot 7-of-10 from inside the arc.

·         Redshirt sophomore guard Nigia Greene made her season debut for the Hurricanes and connected on a 3-pointer on her first shot attempt.

·         Motley is now 41 points away from 1,000 in her collegiate career.

·         The Hurricanes had a season-high 11 players see action.

·         Davenport finished with nine rebounds for the second-straight game, marking the first time in her career she has had even eight in back-to-back contests.

·         Additionally, Davenport recorded multiple assists for the first time in her career.

·         Davenport is the first Hurricane with five blocks in a game since Jassany Williams did so vs. Virginia (3/5/15). Her previous career high was two, recorded multiple times (most recent at Pittsburgh, 2/1/15).

·         Thomas finished the game with five rebounds, marking the fifth time in the last 11 games dating back to last season that she had five-plus boards after doing so just twice in the first 57 games of her career.

·         Three players eclipsed career minutes milestones: Woods topped 2,000, Thomas surpassed 1,500 and Greene moved past 500.

·         Thomas also exceeded both 500 points and 500 field goal attempts in her career.

·         Hayes topped 400 rebounds as a Hurricane.