Miami WBB Beats UNC to Advance in ACC Tournament
All season long, they’ve shown their resiliency.
On Thursday afternoon in their ACC Tournament opener, the Hurricanes did it again.
Ninth-seeded Miami, keyed by 10-0 fourth-quarter run, overcame an early double-digit deficit to clinch a 60-59 win over eight-seeded North Carolina in the tournament opener for both teams.
With the win, the Hurricanes (19-11) advance to Friday’s tournament quarterfinals where they will face top-seeded Virginia Tech (23-6).
Miami had four players finish in double figures, led byShayeann Day-Wilson, who had a team-high 13 points.
Lazaria Spearman notched her fourth double-double of the season – and second straight – with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Latasha Lattimore added 12 points and Ja’Leah Williams contributed 11 points, including three on a long first-half buzzer beater that gave the Hurricanes an emotional lift when they needed one.
“We always show up in March and we always slam the door on people,” said Hurricanes head coach Katie Meier who also noted Miami had 16 second-chance points in the win.
The Hurricanes, who trailed by as many as 14 points on Thursday, outscored North Carolina 15-10 in the third quarter to cut into the lead and set up their eventual fourth-quarter run.
Early on though, the game looked a bit like the teams’ previous meeting in January.
The Tar Heels, who built a double-digit lead in that matchup in Chapel Hill, came out hot again and outscored the Hurricanes 20-13 in the opening quarter. North Carolina (19-12) added to its lead early in the second with a 6-0 run that pushed the lead to 26-15.
Miami, meanwhile, struggled at times to put the ball in the basket and was 8-of-26 from the field midway through the second quarter.
But the Hurricanes closed the gap and pulled within single digits when they hit their last three field goals of the half, including Williams’ shot from near midcourt just as the halftime buzzer sounded.
That shot, which fueled plenty of celebrating on the Miami bench, cut North Carolina’s halftime lead to 37-30.
“We have each other’s backs. … I just told my team, ‘We’re not going to keep missing forever,’” Day-Wilson said. “Just stay confident and have each other’s backs.”
Trinton is the owner of CanesToday. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, he is a freshman in high school and wants to graduate from the University of Miami
