@CanesWBB Prevails in OT Win over Va. Tech

Virginia Tech5667No. 18/17 Miami

TEAM STATS
FGs	17-55	18-54
3FGs	4-17	8-18
Free Throws	18-21	23-38
Rebounds	42	44
Blocks	7	2
Steals	10	9
Assists	10	16
Turnovers	23	18

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
	POINTS			REBOUNDS
	Cook	17		Campbell	12
	Hof	15		Davenport / Hof	7
	ASSISTS			BLOCKS
	Hicks	4		Campbell	4
	Thomas / Woods	4		Davenport / Hof	1
	3FG			STEALS
	Young	2-8		Cook / Hicks	3
	Greene	2-3		Hayes / Woods	2

INFOGRAPHIC
Click here to enlarge

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Playing its first game at the BankUnited Center in two weeks, the University of Miami women’s basketball team came away with a 67-56 overtime victory against Virginia Tech Sunday evening.

No. 18/17 Miami (22-5, 10-4 ACC) had 10 different players score, with freshman forward/center Emese Hof’s 15 points leading the way, to earn a 10th-consecutive win over the Hokies. The victory was Miami’s first in overtime since December of 2011.

As a part of Sunday being Miami’s Play 4 Kay game, the Hurricanes wore pink jerseys and had an honorary captain, Bianca, from the Austen Everett Foundation. Pink towels and t-shirts were given out and The Heroines Choir, a group of breast cancer survivors, sang the national anthem.

“I told them they’re powerful women because they can inspire someone today who really needs inspiration, just by their effort,” Miami head coach Katie Meier said. “No one is going to care if the shot goes in or out, but they will know that team really plays hard and they fight. I think that fight speech really resonated in overtime, for sure. We were definitely inspired by the survivors who were there tonight.”

Virginia Tech (15-12, 3-11 ACC),which boasts the top scoring defense in the ACC, got out to a fast start on both ends and led 18-11 through one quarter of play.

In the second period, after the Hokies snapped a scoreless drought of four minutes and 48 seconds with four-straight points, Miami answered in a big way.

Redshirt sophomore guard Nigia Greene hit back-to-back 3-pointers and junior guard Jessica Thomas followed that with a 3-pointer of her own to tie the score. A pair of free throws by freshman forward/center Emese Hof’s with 3:10 left in the first half made it an 11-0 run and a 24-22 lead for the Hurricanes, their first advantage of the game.

Ultimately, Miami would close the half on a 14-2 run over the final six minutes and three seconds to take a 27-24 lead into the locker room.

The Hurricanes came out in the second half with dominant defense and made it seven minutes and 11 seconds, dating back before the intermission, without allowing a point. In both matchups with the Hokies this season, Miami held Virginia Tech scoreless for a span of over six minutes and 50 seconds.

That basket by the Hokies sparked an 11-6 run, countering a 19-2 stretch by the Hurricanes over 10 minutes and six seconds, to make it 38-35 Miami entering the final period.

“Our depth just can be disheartening for other teams,” Meier said of Miami’s strong defensive performance. “So, we’re going to have to just keep playing hard and defending like we’re defending.”

The Hurricanes stretched their lead back to eight, 43-35, on 3-pointer by freshman guard Laura Cornelius with 7:29 to play.

Miami’s edge remained at five with 43 seconds on the clock, but the Hokies closed the game on a 7-2 run, capped by an off-balance runner by freshman guard Chanette Hicks with 2.2 seconds remaining to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Virginia Tech jumped out to a 55-52 lead in the extra session, but from there it was all Hurricanes. Miami outscored the Hokies 15-1 over the final three minutes and 37 seconds of the game, including 13-straight points over the last two minutes and 13 seconds, to seal the win.

In addition to her team-high 15 points, Hof tied with sophomore forward/center Erykah Davenport for the team lead with seven rebounds. Hof, who shot 9-of-11 at the free throw line, had her siblings and mother in the stands, all the way from the Netherlands.

Junior guard Adrienne Motley also scored in double figures for the Hurricanes, finishing with 12 points. Sophomore forward/center Khaila Prather made the first start of her career for Miami and scored the team’s first points. She was one of 10 Hurricanes to tally at least one basket in the victory.

Junior forward Sidney Cook paced Virginia Tech with 17 points and nine rebounds, but the Hurricanes limited her to 1-of-11 shooting (9.1 percent) from the field. Senior forward Hannah Young added 15 points for the Hokies.

The Hurricanes had a 21-9 edge in points off turnovers in the game, as well as a 12-4 advantage in second chance points and a 16-10 lead in assists. Miami limited Virginia Tech to 17-of-55 shooting (30.9 percent) in the victory.

Miami will conclude its 2015-16 home slate Thursday at 7 p.m. when it hosts No. 11/11 Louisville at the BUC on guard Michelle Woods’ senior night.

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

MIAMI HURRICANES POSTGAME NOTES

·         For the first time in 2015-16, Miami’s starting five consisted of Davenport, Motley, Prather, Thomas and Woods. As aforementioned, this marked the first start of Prather’s collegiate career.

·         The all-time series between the Hurricanes and Hokies is 16-6 in favor Miami, which has won 10-straight meetings.

·         Meier is now 281-184 in her 15 seasons as a head coach, including 205-139 in her 11 years at Miami.

·         Miami’s last overtime game was a 72-67 defeat against Florida State at the ACC Tournament on 3/6/14.

·         Miami’s last overtime win was 12/5/11 when the Hurricanes defeated No. 11/11 Rutgers in double overtime, 91-82.

·         This was the second-straight contest the Hurricanes wore pink jerseys, as they also did so at Notre Dame (2/14/16) for the Fighting Irish’s Play 4 Kay game.

·         Miami retired assistant coach Octavia Blue’s jersey before the game. She is the fourth player in program history to receive the honor.

·         This is the fourth time in program history Miami has recorded at least 10 wins in ACC play, joining 2010-11 (12-2), 2011-12 (14-2) and 2012-13 (11-7).

·         Miami held Virginia Tech without a field goal for a stretch of five minutes and 14 seconds during the first half (1:35 of the first period to 6:21 of the second). During that span, the Hurricanes held the Hokies without a point for four minutes and 48 seconds.

·         Miami also did not allow a point for a separate span of seven minutes and 11 seconds during the game (2:52 of the second period to 5:41 of the third).

·         This is the fifth time in the last seven games the Hurricanes have had a stretch of at least four minutes and 59 seconds without conceding a point. Miami held Virginia Tech without a point for six minutes and 54 seconds in a row in the prior meeting this season.

·         The Hurricanes shot 50.0 percent (4-of-8) from 3-point range in the first half.

·         This is the sixth time in the last seven games Miami has allowed 30 points or fewer in the first half.

·         From 6:21 of the second period to 6:15 of the third, a span of 10 minutes and six seconds, Miami outscored Virginia Tech by 17 points, 19-2.

·         Greene, who missed 14 games due to injury before returning at Notre Dame (2/14/16), played in a home game for the first time since 12/6/15 vs. UMass Lowell.

·         Motley has scored at least a dozen points in 22 of 27 games this season.

·         Motley is 9-2 in her career against teams from her home state of Virginia, including 8-1 versus ACC teams.

·         Keyanna Harris made the 50th appearance of her career and also surpassed 100 points.

·         Keyona Hayes moved past 750 points as a collegian.

·         Woods tied Loretta Harvey for ninth on Miami’s all-time games played list with 122 appearances.

·         Hof set career highs in both free throws made (nine) and attempted (11). Her prior top mark for makes was six (vs. Indiana, 12/20/15) and her high for attempts was eight (vs. Florida State, 1/24/16).

·         Hof’s nine free throws made and 11 free throws attempted are both the most by a Hurricane this season. The previous top number for makes was eight by Thomas (at Boston College, 2/4/16) and the high mark for attempts was nine, recorded multiple times, most recently by Thomas (at Boston College, 2/4/16).

·         Hof, who tallied double-digit points for the ninth time this season, set a career high for ACC play with her 15 points (previous high 12, at Notre Dame, 2/14/16). The 15 points were also the second-most of her career in any game.

·         Hof, who eclipsed both 500 minutes played and 150 rebounds at Miami, also set a new career high with 31 minutes played (previous high 28, vs. Indiana, 12/20/15).

·         Davenport, who attempted the first 3-pointer of her career, totaled multiple assists in an ACC game for the second time in her career (previous vs. Florida State, 1/24/16).

·         Davenport also matched her career high for minutes played in an ACC game with 24 (previous at Duke, 1/18/15).