Milestone night lifts ’Canes over Cavaliers

CORAL GABLES — This one wasn’t exactly thrilling, memorable or pretty for most of the Hurricanes.

But for Miami forward Keyona Hayes, it was a game she probably won’t forget anytime soon.

Hayes, a redshirt senior playing in one of her final regular-season games at the Watsco Center, scored the 1,000th point of her career and pulled down her 700th career rebound to help the 16th-ranked Miami women’s basketball team pick up a 63-52 victory over Virginia on Thursday night.

It was a game in which the Hurricanes — who came in looking to bounce back after a tough loss at rival Florida State on Monday — weren’t necessarily at their best.

Miami (18-6, 7-5 ACC) had more than twice as many turnovers as assists. It struggled to get scoring from the bench. And the usually-consistent Hurricanes were 10-of-22 from the free throw line.

“It was really disjointed. It was really crazy,” said Hurricanes coach Katie Meier. “I told the refs I thought we set the jumpball record in the first night. It was the most amazing thing ever and then at the end, we had some scoring issues with a team that was out of its time-outs. It was just really disjointed and it was one we had to put away. … I’m glad I had a veteran team because it was like, ‘Come on.’ We lost our focus and we didn’t execute well down the stretch, but you’ll take a lesson in a loss and we will.”

Through the stoppages and struggles, though, Hayes and fellow senior Adrienne Motley were constants. Hayes’ jumper with 2:11 left in the first quarter gave her her personal scoring milestone — and gave Miami three current 1,000-point scorers with Motley and fellow guard Jessica Thomas having already reached that total. This season now marks only the second time in program history the Hurricanes have fielded a team with three players that scored at least 1,000 points in their careers. Kym Hope, Cassaundra Wimes and Jennifer Jordan all accomplished that same feat during the 1998-99 season.

But Hayes, one of three Hurricanes to finish in double figures, wasn’t finished.

Later in the game she pulled down her 700th career rebound and her backto-back baskets in the final minute of the third quarter and opening minute of the fourth helped give Miami a double-digit lead over the Cavaliers (15-9, 4-7)

Hayes finished with 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

She notched the fourth double-double of the season and it came in a game, Meier noted, where the Hurricanes most needed their veterans.

“I’m just so happy she got a double-double on a night too, that we needed it,” Meier said. “[Motley] was so hot in the first quarter, and then we went away from her. I was trying to call packages for Motley, then Key came on and we were kind of blowing off the intent of our plays, which this team never does. … We don’t do that. That’s why people in the league have so much respect for us. We’re cerebral.”

Motley, a two-time AllACC pick, also surpassed 1,700 points in her career on Thursday.