South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
’Canes rally from 17 down
Women, like men, face Indiana in 2nd round
When Miami coach Katie Meier reached the locker room at halftime Saturday, her players were already discussing solutions.
When they returned for the postgame celebration, Meier was teary-eyed and reflective.
In 22 seasons as a head coach, she hadn’t been around many victories as satisfying — or as shocking — as this one.
Haley Cavinder scored 12 of her 16 points in the second half and made what proved to be the decisive free throw with 8.9 seconds left to complete a 17-point second-half comeback and send Miami into the second round of the women’s tournament with a 62-61 victory over eighth-seeded Oklahoma State. It matched the fifth-largest comeback in NCAA tourney history.
“I wanted to remind them when life gets hard and you’re going through some stuff and it doesn’t look really good, I want you to remember this moment,” Meier said. “I really want you to look at your teammates and remember what it took for you guys to make the comeback you did.”
Women’s NCAA Tournament
No. 9 Miami vs. No. 1 Indiana
Monday, TBA
In basketball terms, it took a more aggressive defense, a more selfless offense, a stronger commitment to covering up miscues and some good fortune in those frantic final seconds.
The back-and-forth stretch run — a missed free throw with 8.9 seconds left, followed by Anna Gret Asi’s 3-pointer to make it a one-point game before a five-second call on Miami’s ensuing inbound play gave Oklahoma State one more chance — and tested nerves and emotions.
But it wasn’t actually over until Naomie Alnatas’ 10-foot runner rolled off the rim at the buzzer, leaving the sixth-year guard and her teammates seated on the court, lamenting the collapse.
Asi led the Cowgirls (21-16) with 16 points and four 3s. Alnatas had 10 points, and Taylen Collins grabbed 16 rebounds.
Cavinder wound up with eight rebounds and six assists, while Jasmyn Roberts added 12 points.
After facing a 37-20 halftime deficit, Miami (20-12) moves on to face top-seeded Indiana (28-3) on the Hoosiers homecourt. The Hurricanes’ men’s team also plays the Hoosiers in the second round of their NCAA Tournament, facing off at 8:40 p.m. on Sunday in Albany, New York.
The explanation for what happened was a matter of perspective.
“I was really just trying to bring a sense of calm and peace to the chaos and felt it was a combination of some people tightening up and then some people being too lax,” Oklahoma State coach Jacie Hoyt said through a cracking voice and damp, reddened eyes.
“I know in the future that’s going to help me become a better coach.”
Miami had a different take. “I think that’s March,” Cavinder said. “It was nerve-racking, but we finished the game strong. And yeah, it’s something I’ll remember forever.”