Miami snaps Hokies’ streak

No. 14 UM beats No. 15 Va. Tech

CORAL GABLES — Even as Miami struggled in its two conference losses at home, there was no panic.

The Hurricanes women’s basketball team knew it faced top-notch competition in Florida State and Notre Dame. And for Miami, there was always a sense the breakthrough would come sooner rather than later.

Wednesday night, against a previously unbeaten Virginia Tech team, it finally did.

For the first time in more than a year, No. 14 Miami had five players finish in double figures as the Hurricanes held off a late push from the 15th-ranked Hokies to notch an 82-75 win at Watsco Center.

The victory, Miami’s first at home in ACC play, came after a group of Hurricanes veterans met with coach Katie Meier after their 67-55 loss Sunday to sixth-ranked Notre Dame. In that meeting, the Hurricanes told Meier they would find a way to figure things out and bring their younger teammates with them.

Against the Hokies, several of those players had stellar showings with twotime All-ACC pick Adrienne Motley, a Virginia native who considered signing with Tech before deciding on Miami, scoring a team-high 18 points. Fellow senior guard Jessica Thomas added 17, while sophomore Emese Hof scored 8 of her 14 points during a crucial fourthquarter push.

“We knew we had to remain steady. I told my team in the locker room tonight I didn’t care who we were playing. I was coaching Miami, for Miami, wanting to find Miami, and they really came through,” Meier said.

As well as the Hurricanes finished Wednesday, the first few minutes were tenuous at best, and it appeared as if some of the issues that troubled Miami against FSU and Notre Dame would reappear.

Miami missed its first five shots from the field, while the Hokies (15-1, 2-1) hit on 4-of-6 early.

But the Hurricanes (14-3, 3-2) chipped away at Virginia Tech’s early 9-point lead and got an eventual boost from their reserves with Hof, Laura Cornelius and Sarah Mortensen playing particularly well.

Ultimately, the Hurricanes’ bench outscored the Hokies reserves 39-2.

Mortensen, a freshman, connected on a pair of 3-pointers late in the second quarter that put the Hurricanes ahead 36-33 just before halftime. She finished with 10 points, just 2 shy of her career high since arriving at UM.

Later, the Hurricanes, who struggled in the second halves of their losses to FSU and Notre Dame, opened the fourth quarter on a 13-4 run to take control. They later converted on 8-of-10 free throws in the game’s final three minutes to clinch the win, eliciting cheers from their home fans.

“It was just great. We’ve been really working on things and it wouldn’t come,” Hof said. “We finally got together, really together, and it started rolling for us in the end. It came our way because we went out to get it.”