Canes Clipped in Barn Burner With No. 19 Louisville

CORAL GABLES, Fla.  – A battle of two ranked Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) teams lived up to the hype, as the No. 23 Canes (10-2, 0-1 ACC) and No. 19 Louisville Cardinals (12-2, 1-0 ACC) played to 17 lead changes and 12 tie scores before Miami came up just short, 77-72, Sunday, Dec. 31 in the ACC opener.

It was Miami’s first loss at home during the 2023 calendar year, snapping a 17-game home winning streak dating back to Dec. 29, 2022.

FINAL | Louisville 77, Miami 72

Miami held Louisville scoreless for the first two minutes, taking a 4-0 lead before holding an 8-5 advantage at the first media timeout. Louisville took a brief lead, but Lemyah Hylton evened it up with a trey. Shayeann Day-Wilson drained a deep three-pointer at the other end of a Latasha Lattimore block as the Canes held a 23-20 lead after the first.

UM scored the first two buckets of the second frame, but Louisville replied with an 8-0 run to take a one-point lead with six to go in the second. From there the quarter saw four more lead changes, with UM taking a four-point lead thanks to mid-range jumpers from Jasmyne Roberts and Hylton. Louisville was able to score on consecutive trips down the floor, including a layup close to the buzzer, tying things up at 37 to end the half.

Louisville grabbed a 44-41 lead, its largest upperhand of the game, but Lashae Dwyer and Jaida Patrick made consecutive three-pointers to beat the Cardinals’ zone and give UM the lead. Louisville went on an 11-3 run, taking a five-point lead, but Miami’s full court pressure resulted in a three-point play for Jaida Patrick as Miami stopped the bleeding. The pressure ushered Louisville into another miscue, with Ja’Leah Williams stealing a pass and going the distance to give Miami the 55-54 lead. Louisville squeaked in front to close the third after hitting two free throws.

“That [full court pressure] is always going to be a part of the game plan,” head coach Katie Meier said. “I think we had them on the ropes and hit some big time shots and Lemyah Hylton played great.”

Miami scored the first four points of the fourth quarter, holding Louisville scoreless for nearly three minutes to open the frame. The Cardinals finally got on the board with two free throws, but Hylton found Williams alone in the corner for a three-pointer. The Cards replied with their own, cutting their deficit to 64-63 with 6:18 to go. Both sides traded blows and heated up from deep, with the game even at 69-69 at the three-minute mark. 

The Cardinals took a 71-69 lead with a pair from the line and looked for more two possessions later. But, Hylton got in the way and took a key charge to bring the possession back to Miami. The Cardinals scored six of the game’s next eight points to gather a 75-71 lead with 13.7 to go. They would cap the game with a steal off an inbounds play to close the contest.

“We’re going to really regret that one in terms of the special situations,” Meier said. “We didn’t run some plays correctly, but in the end, you can’t turn the ball over. We’re going to regret this one but we’re going to bounce back. Our team showed a lot of toughness.”

NOTES

• It was the 12th all-time meeting between the two teams
• It was Miami’s first home game as a ranked team against another ranked-ACC foe since hosting No. 22/20 Florida State Feb. 24, 2019
• The last time Miami hosted a ranked Louisville team was when the Cardinals were ranked No. 4 Feb. 1, 2022
• Sunday’s game marked Miami’s 110th game against a ranked ACC team
• All 10 Canes scored for the seventh time this season.
• There was no more than a four-point margin in paint points, points off turnovers, second chance points, fastbreak points and bench points.
• Neither team had greater than a seven-point lead
• Miami had five in double figures
• The game was 12 ties and 17 lead changes

UP NEXT
Miami plays its first road-Atlantic Coast Conference game at Boston College Thursday, Jan. 4.