UM picks up emotional win over N.C.

CORAL GABLES — All season, Jessica Thomas and Adrienne Motley have been Miami’s heart and soul.

And on a night when the 17th-ranked Hurricanes women’s basketball team was without Motley — who was home in Virginia after a death in the family — Thomas did her best to try and make a difference.

The senior did that, and so much more, in her best performance of the season.

Thomas tied a careerhigh with both 24 points and seven assists to help pace Miami in an emotional, much-needed 100-88 conference win over North Carolina on Thursday night at the Watsco Center.

Thomas, who had 14 points in the third quarter alone, led a group of five Hurricanes in double figures. Laura Cornelius added 19 points and Shaneese Bailey and Keyanna Harris each had 17 points.

Keyona Hayes, meanwhile, just missed a double-double, finishing with 10 rebounds and eight points.

It was, in every way, as complete an offensive performance as the Hurricanes have had all season.

And it came just days after Miami’s worst offensive showing of the year, an 81-48 loss to Syracuse.

It wasn’t that loss, though, that provided the inspiration for the Hurricanes. It was Motley’s absence.

“It wasn’t even just that. We had to do it for Mot,” said Thomas, who drew a bemused smile from Meier during their postgame press conference when the senior confessed she called her grieving teammate during halftime. “I know if Mot could be here, she would be. At the end of the day, my whole mindset was, ‘Yes, we lost. But I have to do this for [Motley].”

Added Bailey, “I mentioned to [Khaila Prather] before the game, ‘This feels so different.’ Even in pregame, but we just knew we had to play for her. She would be here if she could.”

The game was an emotional experience for Bailey, too.

The Florida Atlantic transfer knew she’d been slated to fill Motley’s role in the starting lineup. But she spent much of Wednesday nursing an upset stomach, unsure whether she’d be physically well enough to make her first start of the season.

And though she said she wasn’t feeling her best, it was hard to tell by her spirited play.

Bailey scored Miami’s first nine points and kept adding to her total throughout the first half, finishing with 15 in the first 20 minutes.

As well as the offense performed Thursday, the Hurricanes (15-5, 4-4) also dominated on the boards, outrebounding North Carolina 42-23. They outscored the Tar Heels 32-20 in the paint and had 15 second-chance points in the win.