@CanesWBB Heads to Third-Ranked Notre Dame
No. 19/17 MiamiatNo. 3/3 Notre Dame
| THE GAME |
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| Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016 • 1 p.m. ET |
| South Bend, Ind. • Purcell Pavilion |
| Game Notes: Miami • Notre Dame |
| THE BROADCAST | ||||||
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Mike Hogewood & Chelsea Shine-Wilson |
Alex Shahriari Listen Online |
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| Live Stats | ||||||
| Social Media: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram | ||||||
| THE POLLS | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 19 | |
| 3 | 17 | |
| TEAM STATS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Record | 23-1 (11-0 ACC) |
21-4 (9-3 ACC) |
| Points | 79.8 | 71.6 |
| Points Allowed | 60.3 | 57.8 |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | |||||
| Motley | 16.3 | Hayes | 5.9 | |||
| Cable / Turner | 13.9 | Turner | 6.8 | |||
| ASSISTS | BLOCKS | |||||
| Thomas | 3.5 | Hof | 1.1 | |||
| Allen | 5.5 | Turner | 3.3 | |||
| 3FG | STEALS | |||||
| Thomas | 1.8 | Thomas | 1.6 | |||
| Cable | 2.2 | Ma. Mabrey | 1.7 | |||
The Game
Miami, ranked No. 19 in The Associated Press Poll and No. 17 the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, plays its second-straight ACC road game Sunday afternoon at third-ranked Notre Dame. The Hurricanes and Fighting Irish are set to square off at 1 p.m. at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Ind.
The Series
Notre Dame has a 15-4 edge in the all-time series against Miami and won the most recent meeting 77-61 at the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, N.C., on March 6, 2015. The Hurricanes also downed Notre Dame last year in regular season play, winning 78-63 on Jan. 8, 2015, giving the Fighting Irish their lone conference loss in their two-plus seasons in the ACC.
The Team
Eight Hurricanes are back from a team that reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2014-15. That group includes a trio of starters who are now the team captains: junior guard Adrienne Motley, a Naismith Trophy Early Season Watch List and Dawn Staley Award Mid-Season Watch List selection, junior guard Jessica Thomas and redshirt senior guard Michelle Woods.
One of the eight returnees is redshirt junior forward Keyona Hayes, who missed last season due to an ankle injury after leading the team in rebounding in 2013-14. The Hurricanes also have a quartet of sophomores in forward/center Erykah Davenport, guard Nigia Greene (redshirt sophomore), forward Keyanna Harris and forward Khaila Prather.
Additionally, Miami has five new players in the fold this season in guard Laura Cornelius, forward/center Emese Hof, forward/center Zada Williams, guard/forward Shaneese Bailey and guard Neydja Petithomme. Bailey and Petithomme are sitting out this season as transfers from Florida Atlantic and Auburn, respectively.
The Coach
Katie Meier, in her 11th season in Coral Gables, Fla., has led Miami to great heights during her tenure. Since 2009-10, the Wheaton, Ill., native has directed the program to its greatest six-year stretch ever, making the postseason in all six years, with four NCAA Tournament appearances. This season, Meier has already guided the Hurricanes to their sixth 20-win campaign in the past seven seasons.
Meier has guided Miami to 62 victories in ACC play since the start of the 2010-11 season, the second-most of any team in the conference. The 2010-11 AP National Coach of the Year is in her 15th season as a head coach, spending the first four at Charlotte, and owns a career record of 280-183, including 204-138 at Miami.
The Opponent
The Fighting Irish are 23-1 (11-0 ACC) and have been ranked third nationally the entire season. Notre Dame features four players averaging at least 11 points per game, with graduate student guard Madison Cable and sophomore forward Brianna Turner leading the way at 13.9 each. Freshman guard Arike Ogunbowale (11.5 ppg) and freshman guard Marina Mabrey (11.3 ppg) are the others. The lone undefeated team in ACC play, Notre Dame was picked first in the conference’s preseason poll and Turner was the ACC Preseason Player of the Year. The Fighting Irish went 36-3 (15-1 ACC) last season, advancing to the NCAA Championship for the second year in a row.
Last Time Out
The Hurricanes moved to 8-1 on the season in true road games with an exciting 58-55 victory over Georgia Tech Thursday night at Hank McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta. Hayes and Davenport, both natives of the Peach State, combined for 28 points, with Hayes’ 16 pacing Miami in the victory. Motley added 13 and Thomas chipped in with 10, as four Hurricanes logged double figures. The Hurricanes shot 22-of-49 (44.9 percent) from the field, while limiting Georgia Tech to a 19-of-63 (30.2 percent) clip.
Up Next
After a midweek bye, Miami will open its lone two-game ACC homestand Sunday, Feb. 21 against Virginia Tech. The game is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Fla.
