Destiny Harden has game “for the ages” as UM stuns No. 4 Louisville in ACC quarters
University of Miami women’s basketball coach Katie Meier, still stunned by what her team had just done, sat down for her post-game press conference at the Greensboro Coliseum Friday night and asked: “It’s safe to say we’re off the bubble? What just happened? Did Destiny go on a 14-0 run by herself? Is that the truth?’’
Even better, Coach. It was a 15-0 solo run.
Senior forward Destiny Harden hit a turnaround jumper at the buzzer to put the final touch on a one-woman comeback as the Hurricanes scored the final 17 points of the game to shock fourth-ranked and second-seeded Louisville 61-59 in the ACC tournament quarterfinal. Miami, the No. 7 seed, advanced to the 2:30 p.m. semifinal Saturday against No. 3 seed Notre Dame, which beat Georgia Tech in the late game.
“That performance by Destiny Harden was one for the ages,” said Meier.
Asked courtside how she had the nerves to make that game-winning shot, Harden smiled and replied: “1.3 seconds in March! 1.3 seconds in March! I knew I had to take it. They believed in me, and I delivered.”
She later added: “It’s March basketball. It’s either win or go home, and we’re not ready to go home yet.” It was the most thrilling and one of the most significant wins in recent history for the UM women’s team, and likely helped seal a berth in the NCAA tournament.
The second-seeded Cardinals led 59-44 with 5:44 to go, and, in the words of Meier “we were dead in the water.” But UM freshman guard Ja’Leah Williams made a layup, and then the Harden Show began. The play-by-play book said it all:
Made three-point jumper Destiny Harden. Made layup Destiny Harden. Made layup Destiny Harden. Made driving layup Destiny Harden. Made free throw Destiny Harden. Then, with 32 seconds left in the game, a Harden three-pointer tied the game 59-59.
Louisville had the ball but turned it over with 1.7 seconds left on a shot clock violation. Miami took a timeout, and Meier opted to call a play for Harden at the urging of assistant coach Fitzroy Anthony who told her Harden would win the game for them.
Kelsey Marshall fired a bounce pass to Harden, she caught it, turned and leaped over Louisville guard Hailey Van Lith for the game-winner as the clock expired. When the ball went in, ending UM’s frantic comeback, Van Lith buried her face into her hands and stared ahead incredulously.
The Louisville players were stunned, as was everyone else in the building, including Meier.
“When the ball was in the air I didn’t think it was good, I was thinking overtime, and then it went in and then I was like `Oh my god, I think we just won!” Meier said.
Harden scored the game’s final 15 points and finished with a career-high 27 points on 11-for-15 shooting. She was immediately swarmed by her teammates, and they raced off the court to the locker room where they celebrated before returning and piling on Meier while she did her on-court T.V. interview.
“We were dead in the water, looked tired and lazy,” Meier said. “I was frustrated and hand-tied. I came out of the locker room after the game and everyone was like, `Oh great coaching,’ and I was like `That was not coaching. That was my players. Do not give me any credit for that.”
She credited Harden and Naomi Mbandu for never losing faith. Even when the Hurricanes were down by 16 and bickering in the huddle, those two players kept insisting they could win.
Meier, a former Duke player, said she watched a T.V. interview Friday afternoon with retiring Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and something he said stuck with her in the toughest moments of the game. He talked about being in the moment, not thinking about the past or the future.
“I’m looking at the score and the clock and I’m thinking, `Wow, if he’s in the moment, I can be in the moment down 12 or 14 going into the fourth,” Meier said. “I really did go back to that in my mind, telling myself, `We’re not playing very well, but coach the moment.’ And the moment got bigger and bigger and bigger. I still don’t know what happened but we weren’t playing well and then we started playing well.’’
Louisville, which had beaten UM by three points earlier this season, dropped to 25-4. Miami improved to 19-11 and has won seven of its past eight games.
“Everything that we needed to do to allow them to come back in the game, we did,” said Louisville head coach Jeff Walz.
This story was originally published March 4, 2022 at 10:16 PM.