@CanesWBB vs. FSU in ACC Tournament Quarters
No. 21/21 Miami
at
No. 14/10 Florida State
| THE GAME |
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| Thursday, March 4, 2016 • 11 a.m. ET |
| Greensboro, N.C. • Greensboro Coliseum |
| Game Notes: Miami • Florida State |
| THE BROADCAST | ||||||
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Mike Hogewood & LaChina Robinson |
Matt Walter Listen Online |
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| Live Stats | ||||||
| Social Media: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram | ||||||
| THE POLLS | ||
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| 21 | 14 | |
| 21 | 10 | |
| TEAM STATS | ||
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| Record | 23-7 (10-6 ACC) |
23-6 (13-3 ACC) |
| Points | 70.7 | 74.6 |
| Points Allowed | 59.8 | 56.3 |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS | ||||||
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| POINTS | REBOUNDS | |||||
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Motley | 15.9 | Hayes | 5.6 | ||
| Thomas | 17.3 | Bulgak | 7.8 | |||
| ASSISTS | BLOCKS | |||||
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Thomas | 3.6 | Hof | 1.1 | ||
| Brown | 4.2 | Bulgak | 0.9 | |||
| 3FG | STEALS | |||||
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Thomas | 1.8 | Motley | 1.5 | ||
| Bingley | 1.0 | Brown | 2.9 | |||
The Game
Miami, ranked No. 21 in both The Associated Press Poll and the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, will face No. 14/10 Florida State Friday in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. The Hurricanes, seeded fifth, and the Seminoles, seeded fourth, are set to meet at 11 a.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C.
The Series
The Seminoles hold a 39-12 edge in the all-time series against Miami and have won both prior ACC Tournament matchups. Florida State won both regular season meetings between the two teams, most recently picking up a 70-67 home victory last Sunday. Miami led for over 31 minutes of action in the contest before falling by three.
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 Blue Ribbon Panel First Team All-ACC 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 63 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 282-186, including 206-141 at Miami.
The Opponent
The Seminoles finished the regular season 23-6 and tied for third in the ACC at 13-3. Sophomore forward Shakayla Thomas, their leading scorer at 17.3 points per game, won her second-straight ACC Sixth Player of the Year award and was named First Team All-ACC. Senior center Adut Bulgak, who averages 12.9 points and a team-best 7.8 rebounds per game, was a Second Team All-ACC honoree. Junior guard Leticia Romero also averages double digits, posting 11.1 points an outing.
Last Time Out
Miami opened ACC Tournament play with a 77-55 victory over 12th-seeded Pittsburgh Thursday. The Hurricanes shot a season-best 60.0 percent (33-of-55) from the field. Leading the charge was Hayes, who was a perfect 9-of-9 and finished with 18 points to go along with a team-high seven rebounds. Motley led all scorers with 19 points and both Hof and Woods chipped in with 11 points. Miami had a 40-18 edge in points in the paint and a 17-2 advantage in bench points.
Up Next
If the Miami tops the Seminoles, it will take on either No. 2/3 Notre Dame, the top seed in the field, or eighth-seeded Duke Saturday at 12 p.m. on ESPNU in the ACC Tournament semifinals.
