Miami shines in Senior Night win over Georgia Tech, 75-70
CORAL GABLES — They expected it to be gritty and physical. And in many ways, it was.
The Miami Hurricanes women’s basketball team – playing in its regular-season finale and bidding to pad its resume enough to earn the chance to host in the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament – found itself having to fight off a gritty upset-minded Georgia Tech team that was determined to spoil Miami’s day.
Ultimately, though, the same Hurricanes seniors that were celebrated before tipoff were the ones that helped Miami clinch a tough 75-70 win over Tech on Sunday afternoon at the Watsco Center with Keyona Hayes scoring a gamehigh 24 points in the victory and Adrienne Motley adding 17.
Fellow senior Jessica Thomas also finished in double digits, scoring 12 for Miami, which now heads to the ACC Tournament and will open play Thursday against either Boston College or Georgia Tech.
“This was going to be a real pinnacle for [Tech], to knock us off on our home court on Senior Night and they had that mentality, which I totally respect,” Miami coach Katie Meier said. “They were gritty, they were feisty, and they were physical. We didn’t respond to the challenge as well in the third quarter, but in the fourth quarter, I think that Miami team in the fourth quarter is pretty good. Really good.”
The Hurricanes (21-7, 10-6), who controlled the tempo for much of the afternoon and led formore than 32 minutes, found themselves trailing for the first time late in the third quarter.
They then opened the fourth on a 10-2 run that was fueled by Hayes and Erykah Davenport that gave them a 63-57 lead with 6:05 left after a jumper from Hayes. Miami wouldn’t trail after that.
Instead, they answered every time Georgia Tech (16-13, 5-11) would try to pull closer.
After an Imani Tilford jumper pulled the Jackets within two midway through the fourth quarter, Thomas hit a jumper of her own. Later, when Elo Edeferioka pulled Georgia Tech within four after hitting a pair of free throws, Hayes hit a lay-up and minutes later, Motley connected on a 3-point dagger that gave Miami a ninepoint lead that virtually put the game out of reach.
And the guard – who struggled with a hamstring issue in the second half – let herself enjoy the moment, throwing her hands in the air and smiling as the ball went through the net and her teammates cheered.
“I haven’t really celebrated like that in a little while, and I thought senior nightwas the time to do it,” Motley said. “It just came out. I’m just happy. I was glad they called the timeout [after].”
Added Hayes, “It really means a lot. We don’t want it to be the last time playing here, but this may be my last time playing here, and I thought I should just go out there and give it my all for all the fans and thank them for coming out here to every game. Andmy team.”
With the regular-season in the books, the Hurricanes now turn their focus to the ACC Tournament where they’ll open play on Thursday as the No. 7 seed.
They’ll face the winner of Wednesday’s game between Georgia Tech and Boston College with a victory over either the Yellow Jackets or Eagles sending the Hurricanes to a quarterfinal showdown against rival Florida State, the eighth-ranked team in the nation. A strong showing in Myrtle Beach will only help their cause in the push to host in the NCAA Tournament.
“We can control some opinions by getting some wins,” Meier said. “If we don’t, it’s out of our control and that’s our fault. I like that. We’re very honest. We’ve been talking about it for a while, where we’re at, where our RPI is and this is a veteran team. They know what’s on the line.”