UM women aim to add No. 9 Duke to upset résumé
University of Miami women’s basketball coach Katie Meier heads back to her alma mater Duke on Sunday to face the ninth-ranked Blue Devils in what will be one of the toughest challenges the Hurricanes have faced all season.
The Canes hit the road with a boost of confidence after beating No. 19 Florida State 76-72 at home Thursday. Guard Haley Cavinder scored a career-high 33 points against the Seminoles, making seven threepointers and eight consecutive free throws to seal the win in the closing minutes.
It was UM’s third Top 25 win of the season — and the team is hoping for another upset Sunday (2 p.m., BSFL).
Duke also had a big win Thursday, beating Boston College by 41 points on the road, 68-27, the second-fewest points allowed in an ACC women’s game. The Blue Devils improved to 21-3 overall and remain atop the ACC with an 11-2 record.
Under third-year coach Kara Lawson, the former Tennessee and WNBA star, Duke this season earned its first win at Notre Dame and returned to the top 10 for the first time since 2017.
Among the Duke players to watch are Celeste Taylor, who averages 11.9 points, and Elizabeth Balogun, who averages 10 and is the team’s top rebounder (5.6).
The Hurricanes are led by Cavinder (12.8 ppg, 41 percent from three-point range), Destiny Harden (12.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and Jasmyne Roberts (8.5 ppg).
The Blue Devils allow an average of 50.7 points, well below Miami’s scoring average of 73.9 points. Duke is 14-0 when it scores more than 63 points. Both teams have relied heavily on defense this season.
UM dominated the boards in the past three games, a big reason the team moved into a fourway tie for third place in the ACC with a 9-4 league record and 16-8 record overall. The Hurricanes are 9-2 since the start of January, hitting their stride when it matters most as March is around the corner.
Miami, FSU, Virginia Tech and Louisville are tied at 9-4 in the ACC standings behind Duke (11-2) and Notre Dame (10-3).
“It’s February and it’s a home game against a ranked team, and those look really good on your résumé,” Meier said after the FSU win.
“But we’re going to have a couple on the road, at least Duke for sure, and that’s the next statement we have to make to separate ourselves.”
Meier starred at Duke from 1986-90 and is still in the record books there, in third place for scoring average (16.2) and steals and free throws made and attempted.
She was ACC Rookie of the Year and graduated from Duke cum laude with a degree in English Literature.
Michelle Kaufman: 305-376-3438, @kaufsports