@CanesWBB Takes Down Duke for Season's 20th W

Duke5361No. 16/20 Miami

TEAM STATS
FGs	17-61	19-53
3FGs	3-15	8-21
Free Throws	16-24	15-27
Rebounds	41	48
Blocks	6	4
Steals	8	5
Assists	8	14
Turnovers	13	17

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
	POINTS			REBOUNDS
	Chidom	18		Greenwell	7
	Motley	21		Davenport	15
	ASSISTS			BLOCKS
	Salvadores	3		Henson	3
	Thomas	4		Four Players	1
	3FG			STEALS
	Henson	2-2		Three Players	3
	Thomas	4-7		Hayes Motley	2

INFOGRAPHIC
Click here to enlarge

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami women’s basketball team limited Duke to a program record-low 11 first half points on its way to a commanding 61-53 victory over the Blue Devils Sunday at the BankUnited Center.

No. 16/20 Miami (20-4, 8-3 ACC) held Duke without a point for over 11-straight minutes and without a field goal for greater than 15-consecutive minutes during the win, which was its second all-time against the Blue Devils.

Junior guard Adrienne Motley led all scorers with 21 points, including 17 in the second half to help Miami reach 20 wins for the sixth time in seven seasons. Sophomore forward/center Erykah Davenport, making her first start since Dec. 18, 2015, pulled down a game- and career-high 15 rebounds.

“Obviously it’s one of the best defensive performances I’ve ever seen. I mean, we’ve held teams, but they weren’t Duke,” Miami head coach Katie Meier said. “We have had some amazing defensive performances in this building, but that first half was amazing. My kids were just playing their absolute ever-living guts out and we had one day to prepare.”

The Hurricanes took a 15-9 lead through one quarter of play after holding Duke (17-8, 6-5 ACC) scoreless for the final five minutes of the period. Miami’s 2-0 deficit, which lasted just 14 seconds, was the only time it trailed all game.

The stellar defense by the Hurricanes continued into the second quarter, as Miami made it 11 minutes and 37 seconds in a row it held Duke without a point until the Blue Devils connected on a free throw. During that time, the Hurricanes went on a 15-0 run to take a 24-9 lead.

Miami went on to hold Duke without a made field goal for the final 15 minutes of the half, as the Blue Devils missed 24-straight shots. The Hurricanes led 27-11 at halftime after outscoring Duke 12-2 in the second period.

The 11 points allowed in a half and two points in a quarter are both season bests for the Hurricanes.

The Blue Devils shot 4-of-33 (12.1 percent) from the field in the opening 20 minutes, including 0-of-9 from 3-point range. Meanwhile, Miami was 5-of-10 (50.0 percent) from beyond the arc. That included a 3-of-4 mark by junior guard Jessica Thomas, who paced all scorers with 10 points at the break.

After a 3-pointer by Motley to open the second half stretched the Hurricanes’ lead to 19, 30-11, Duke connected on its first field goal in 15 minutes and 40 seconds.

The Blue Devils went on a 14-4 run during the third period to trim their deficit to six. Motley then scored the final basket of the frame with three seconds on the clock and Miami took a 44-36 edge into the final session.

That basket by Motley sparked what would become a 12-2 Miami run to make it 54-38 with 6:37 remaining. Motley had eight of the 12 points during that span and capped it with a 3-pointer.

Duke scored 15 points in the final four minutes, but the Hurricanes continued to answer each time the Blue Devils looked to narrow the gap and they did not get any closer than seven.

“That’s what I love about this team,” Meier said of her team’s resiliency when Duke made its late pushes. “We were in that situation at Charlotte, we were in that situation at Old Dominion and against Baylor. So you go on and on in the nonconference schedule and you realize what we’ve done. It’s a different person every time. We have faith; faith is confidence with patience and we showed great faith tonight.”

Thomas finished with 13 points and game-high four assists, while connecting on a career-high-tying four 3-pointers in the victory. Redshirt junior forward Keyona Hayes added 13 points, including seven in the fourth period, to go along with seven rebounds.

Junior forward Oderah Chidom led Duke with 18 points and redshirt sophomore guard Rebecca Greenwell posted 16, though the Hurricanes limited her to 4-of-14 shooting (28.6 percent).

Duke entered the game outrebounding its opponents by 9.3 boards per game and the Hurricanes won the rebounding battle, 48-41. Miami is just the fifth team to outrebound the Blue Devils this season and the plus-seven margin matches the most by any of the five.

“What makes it special is that my players played their guts out and they won,” Meier said of the victory over the Blue Devils. “That’s what’s special for me.”

Miami next plays the first of two-straight road games Thursday night at 7 p.m. against Georgia Tech at Hank McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta.

For more information on University of Miami women’s basketball, follow @CanesWBB.

MIAMI HURRICANES POSTGAME NOTES

·         For the 12th time this season and the first time since Dec. 18, 2015, Miami’s starting five consisted of Davenport, Hayes, Motley, Thomas and Michelle Woods.

·         The all-time series between the Hurricanes and Blue Devils is now 12-2 in favor of Duke. The teams have split the last four meetings.

·         Meier is now 279-183 in her 15 seasons as a head coach, including 203-138 in her 11 years at Miami.

·         This is the first time in program history Miami has defeated both Duke and North Carolina in the same season.

·         Duke’s 11 first half points are the fewest it has ever scored before the break in program history.

·         The Hurricanes’ two points allowed in the second quarter is a new season best (previous low four, recorded twice, most recently in the first quarter at Clemson, 1/10/15).

·         Miami’s 11 points conceded in the first half is a new season low (previous low 15, recorded twice, most recently in the first half at Clemson, 1/10/15).

·         Duke 12.1 field goal percentage and four made field in the first half are also the lowest marks in a half by a Miami opponent this season, while its two assists ties the lowest total. 

·         The Hurricanes held Duke without a field goal for 15 minutes and 40 seconds (5:01 of the first period to 9:21 of the third period) and without a point for 11 minutes and 37 seconds (5:01 of the first period to 3:24 of the second period).

·         Miami has held its opponent without a point for a stretch of greater than six minutes in three of the past four games (6:04 at Boston College on 2/4/16 and 7:12 at Virginia Tech on 1/28/16).

·         The only four previous games this season Duke was outrebounded were at Louisville (1/10/16, by six), vs. UNCW (12/31/15, by four), at South Carolina (12/6/15, by seven) and vs. Texas A&M (11/18/15, by five). Miami and South Carolina are tied for the largest margin.

·         Miami has now recorded at least 20 victories in six of the past seven seasons. Twenty wins in 24 games ties the fifth-fastest mark in program history.

·         Motley has recorded over a dozen points in 20 of 24 games this season, with 17-plus 16 times. She has tallied 20-plus points 20 times in her career, including eight times in 2015-16.

·         Motley passed Desma Thomas for No. 14 on Miami’s all-time scoring list. She has 1,295 points in her career.

·         Motley’s nine 3-pointers attempted are a new career high (previous high eight, at Wake Forest, 2/26/15). She also recorded her first blocked shot of the season.

·         Motley’s nine free throws attempted set a new season high (previous high eight, at North Carolina, 1/17/16). It also matches the most by a Hurricane this season (Jessica Thomas, at Boston College, 2/4/16).

·         Davenport’s 15 rebounds eclipsed her prior career best of 13 (vs. Washington in the NCAA Tournament, 3/20/15).

·         The 15 rebounds by Davenport match the most by a Hurricane this season (previous Emese Hof, vs. Indiana, 12/19/15).

·         Over the past four games, Davenport is averaging 9.8 rebounds. She posted 3.9 per game over the previous 11.

·         Davenport, who eclipsed 250 rebounds in her career, also has seven-plus rebounds in four-straight games after logging at least four rebounds three previous times all season.

·         Thomas logged double-digit points for the 17th time in 24 outings this season.

·         Thomas matched her career best with four 3-pointers made (previously recorded at Oakland, 11/19/13).

·         Thomas also set a new career high with 38 minutes played (previous high 37, recorded multiple times, most recently vs. Wake Forest, 1/14/16). The 38 minutes is the most by any Hurricane over the past two seasons.

·         Laura Cornelius surpassed 150 points in the first year of her collegiate career.

·         Emese Hof eclipsed 50 free throws attempted in her first season as a Hurricane.

·         Woods moved past 2,500 minutes played as a collegian.