Miami Surrenders Late Lead, Falls at Clemson
CLEMSON, S.C. – The University of Miami women’s basketball team surrendered a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter Thursday evening, as they narrowly fell on the road to Clemson (11-9, 4-5) by a final score of 64-61.
The loss for the Hurricanes (11-8, 1-7) marks their seventh consecutive defeat.
Miami was led by Haley Cavinder who put together another outstanding performance, particularly in the first half. She finished the contest with a team-high 18 points, while also dishing out five assists and pulling down five rebounds. Haley Cavinder was exceptional in the first half, as she scored 16 of her 18 points across the first 20 minutes of action.
Freshman Ahnay Adams was tremendous off the bench for the Canes. Adams scored 10 points and recorded a career-high five steals, and the freshman completed the contest with a team-high plus/minus of +10 in 25 minutes of action.
Lemyah Hylton also had an impressive performance off the bench for Miami. Hylton scored a season-high nine points on a perfect 3-3 shooting from the field and 2-2 at the free throw line.
Hanna Cavinder had a strong all-around outing, as she contributed six points, four rebounds, and a game-high six assists. Cameron Williams chipped in eight points and five rebounds in the contest.
Miami fell behind early, as they found themselves facing a 19-13 deficit just over eight minutes into the contest. The Canes closed out the stanza in strong fashion, as Hanna Cavinder finished a layup and Haley Cavinder buried a 3-pointer right before the buzzer, and Miami entered the second frame trailing 19-18.
The Canes commenced the second quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers, courtesy of Leah Harmon and Hylton, as they took a 24-19 lead over Clemson at the 8:05 mark. Miami ripped off another run to end the quarter, scoring six straight points to take a 37-26 lead into halftime. The Canes shot 55.2 percent from the field and 40 percent from behind the arc across the first 20 minutes of play.
After the Tigers managed to trim Miami’s lead down to six points with 7:11 on the clock in the third quarter, the Canes put together a 10-0 run to take a commanding 49-33 lead with 3:53 to go in the period. Clemson outscored Miami 7-4 over the remainder of the frame; however, Miami entered the final stanza with a 53-40 advantage.
Clemson opened the final quarter on a 15-2 run to tie the contest up at 55 points apiece with 5:50 to go. The two squads went back and forth over the remainder of the game; but, with the game tied at 59-59 with 1:27 left, the Tigers made an and-one layup and buried the free throw to take a three-point lead over Miami. The Canes had an opportunity at the buzzer that went in-and-out, as they narrowly fell to Clemson.
Miami will return to the court on Sunday when they are slated to host SMU at the Watsco Center with tip-off scheduled for Noon.
