Free Throws Spark @CanesWBB to Win at BC

No. 16/20 Miami6762Boston College

TEAM STATS
FGs	22-58	22-52
3FGs	5-17	3-9
Free Throws	18-22	15-18
Rebounds	32	38
Blocks	5	8
Steals	16	8
Assists	9	11
Turnovers	14	19

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
	POINTS			REBOUNDS
	Thomas	14		Davenport	9
	Fasoula	19		Hughes / Fasoula	6
	ASSISTS			BLOCKS
	Thomas	3		Prather	2
	Boudreau	3		Boudreau	3
	3FG			STEALS
	Cournelius	2-4		Woods	4
	Boudreau	2-2		Bourdreau / Mosetti	2

INFOGRAPHIC
Click here to enlarge

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The University of Miami women’s basketball team stormed back from an early deficit and controlled the second half of the game en route to a 67-62 victory over Boston College Thursday night at Conte Forum.

No. 16/20 Miami (19-4, 7-3 ACC) has now earned seven victories in eight road games this season. Junior guard Jessica Thomas led the Hurricanes with 14 points and set a new career high in free throws made, shooting 8-of-9 (88.9 percent) at the line.

As a whole, Miami finished the contest 18-of-22 (81.8 percent) on free throws, with the 18 makes its most of the season.

“We needed to get to the free throw line,” Miami head coach Katie Meier said. “In the first half we went 9-of-9. I said at halftime, ‘This is a positive thing for us. We got to get in bonus in both of the remaining quarters.’ I believe we did.”

After trailing 21-11 with 1:39 left in the first period, the Miami found its groove and dominated the remainder of the half, conceding just eight points the rest of the opening half.

The Hurricanes trailed 21-13 through one quarter, but from the final minute and 38 seconds of the period through the first four minutes and 26 seconds of the second, they did not allow a point.

Buoyed by the strong defense, Miami went on a 16-4 run, including a 10-0 stretch to close it that was capped by a 3-pointer by Adrienne Motley. The junior guard’s shot gave the Hurricanes their first lead of the game, 27-25, with 1:04 remaining in the first half.

Boston College (13-9, 1-8 ACC) scored the final four points of the second period and led 29-27 at halftime. Miami, as aforementioned, connected on all nine of its free throw attempts in the opening 20 minutes, its second-most in the first half this season. Thomas was 5-of-5 at the stripe individually before the intermission.

“She was aggressive in the first half, but we asked her to be patient in the second half,” Meier said of Thomas. “So, we went deeper in the offenses and she made the right reads. In fact, we had her out on the bench and said, ‘Did you see this?’ When she came back off of that I don’t think I took her off again because she just ran it. She saw it and she ran it.”

The Hurricanes held the Eagles to 4-of-16 shooting (25.0 percent) in the third period and built a lead of as much as nine when Laura Cornelius hit a 3-pointer with 1:57 on the clock to make it 46-37. The basket by the freshman guard capped a 13-2 run by Miami, which ended the third quarter with a 47-40 edge.

“The second quarter and the third quarter, our defense was awesome. We were a little panicked in the first quarter. Twenty-one is a lot to give up, but then we responded,” Meier said. “Really, they only had four points until the last 36 seconds of that second quarter and they scored on two shots. That was a huge adjustment and then we held on it in the third. That gave us the cushion we needed.”

Boston College closed to within a point, 49-48, with 6:33 left in the game, but Cornelius answered with a 3-pointer and Miami never looked back, holding strong for the five-point win. The Hurricanes led for the final 15 minutes and 19 seconds of the contest after being ahead for just 25 seconds in the first half.

Motley finished the game with 13 points, while redshirt junior forward Keyona Hayes added 11 in the win. Sophomore forward/center Erykah Davenport logged eight points and a game-high, season-high-tying nine rebounds.

Boston College freshman center Mariella Fasoula led all scorers with 19 points and junior guard Kelly Hughes chipped in with 12. Miami limited Hughes, the Eagles’ leading scorer, to 4-of-14 shooting (28.6 percent) from the floor, including 1-of-5 (20.0 percent) from 3-point range.

With 16 steals, the Hurricanes had twice as many as the Eagles and its second-most of the 2015-16 season. Miami also held Boston College to just 14 made field goals on 39 attempts (35.9 percent) in the final three periods of the game.

The Hurricanes will play their third game of the week Sunday at 1 p.m. against Duke back home at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Fla.

To keep up with the University of Miami women’s basketball team throughout the 2015-16 season, follow @CanesWBB.

MIAMI HURRICANES POSTGAME NOTES

·         For the 12th game in a row, Miami’s starting lineup was Hayes, Emese Hof, Motley, Thomas and Michelle Woods. This is now solely the Hurricanes’ most commonly used starting five of the season.

·         The all-time series between the Hurricanes and Eagles is now 25-17 in favor of Miami, which has won eight of the past nine meetings.

·         Meier is now 278-183 in her 15 seasons as a head coach, including 202-138 in her 11 years at Miami.

·         At 7-3 in the ACC, Miami is off to its third-best 10-game start in conference play in Meier’s 11 seasons at the helm. The Hurricanes opened 9-1 in 2011-12 and 8-2 in 2010-11.

·         Prior to coming back from a 10-point deficit tonight, Miami beat Wright State and Illinois after being down by 13, Charlotte after trailing by 12 and Indiana after being behind by 11.

·         Miami is 5-3 this season when it faces a double-digit deficit in a game.

·         With 19 wins in 23 games, Miami has already surpassed its total from the 29-game 2014-15 regular season.

·         The Hurricanes held Boston College for a span of six minutes and four seconds in the first half. It is the second-straight road game Miami has held an opponent without a point for over six-consecutive minutes (previous 7:12, at Virginia Tech, 1/28/16).

·         With 18 made free throws, the Hurricanes set a new season best (previous high 17, at Clemson, 1/10/16).

·         Miami’s nine first half makes from the free throw line ranked second this season behind its 10 vs. Coppin State (12/4/15). The Hurricanes made their first 10 free throws of the game.

·         The Hurricanes’ 16 steals were their second-most this season, behind only the 18 they recorded vs. La Salle (11/29/15).

·         Miami’s five blocked shots tied its second-highest total this season.

·         After opening the game 8-of-13 (61.5 percent) from the field, Boston College was limited to 4-of-12 shooting (33.3 percent) the rest of the first half.

·         Motley has recorded over a dozen points in 19 of 23 games this season.

·         Michelle Woods tallied a season-high four steals (previous high three, recorded multiple times, most recently vs. Milwaukee, 11/27/15). The four steals were also the most she has ever recorded in an ACC game (previous high three, recorded multiple times, most recently vs. Wake Forest, 1/14/16).

·         Thomas’s eight free throws made set a new career best, surpassing her previous best of six (recorded multiple times, most recently vs. Washington in the NCAA Tournament, 3/20/15).

·         Thomas’ eight free throws made are also the most by a Hurricane this season (previous high seven, by Adrienne Motley, at North Carolina, 1/17/16). Her nine attempts were also an individual player high (previous high eight, recorded multiple times, most recently by Emese Hof, vs. Florida State, 1/24/16).

·         In the first half alone, Thomas matched her season high for free throws made in a game with five (previous vs. NC State, 12/30/15).

·         With nine free throws attempted, Thomas set both a new season high and new career high in ACC competition, eclipsing her previous high of eight for both, set in the same game (vs. NC State, 12/30/15).

·         Thomas scored in double figures for the 16th time this season. She has tallied fewer than eight points just three times in 23 games.

·         Davenport’s nine rebounds matched her season best (previously recorded multiple times, most recently at Loyola Chicago, 11/21/15).

·         Davenport posted her third-straight game with at least seven boards. She had previously recorded seven-plus rebounds three times all season, with none since 12/4/15 vs. Coppin State.

·         Davenport’s nine rebounds are tied for the most she has recorded in her career in an ACC game (previous vs. Virginia, 1/21/15).

·         In addition, Davenport has amassed 24 rebounds in the last three games (8.0 average) after logging 27 total in the first seven games of ACC play (3.9 average).

·         Laura Cornelius eclipsed 500 minutes played as a Hurricane.

·         Khaila Prather recorded multiple blocks in a game for the first time this season.

·         Hayes reached 200 free throws attempted as a collegian.