Miami Defeats Virginia, 85-74, on Senior Day
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami women’s basketball team closed out the regular season with an 85-74 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers (15-14, 4-14 ACC) Sunday afternoon at the Watsco Center.
The senior class was dominant on senior day, accounting for 54 of Miami’s 85 points in the game. Graduate student Destiny Harden recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds against Virginia.
Fellow seniors Hanna and Haley Cavinder joined Harden in double-figures with 15 and 11 points, respectively. Hanna Cavinder was electric from 3-point range, knocking down five threes and setting a new career high in shots made from beyond the arc.
Freshman Kyla Oldacre played her best game of the season, totaling 19 points and eight rebounds.
Virginia jumped out to an early 7-2 lead, but the Hurricanes (18-11, 11-7 ACC) responded with a dominant 14-0 run to take their first lead of the game, 16-7, at the 2:39 mark in the first quarter. Harden and Oldacre led the way for Miami with seven first-quarter points apiece, while Hanna Cavinder tallied six of her own in the first 10 minutes.
Six different Hurricanes recorded a point in the second quarter and Miami shot 47 percent as a unit to take a double-digit, 40-30, lead into halftime. Five of Miami’s six active seniors were on the board when the halftime break came around.
It was all offense in the third quarter as Virginia and Miami shot 83 percent and 71 percent, respectively, from the field. The Cavaliers ultimately outscored Miami, 30-27, in the third, but the Hurricanes maintained a 67-60 lead with 10 minutes to play.
A trio of Hurricanes recorded five points in the fourth quarter, including Harden who eclipsed the 20-point mark for her third 20-point outing of the season. Miami closed the game with four free throws to defeat Virginia, 85-74, on senior day.
The Hurricanes head to Greensboro, N.C., this week to compete in the 2023 ACC Tournament. Miami has a first-round bye and will open play on Thursday, March 2.
