New-look UM women’s team overwhelms Hofstra 83-48 in season opener
They took a little while to get going, but once they did, the new-look University of Miami women’s basketball team cruised past Hofstra 83-48 in their 2025-26 season opener at the Watsco Center.
The Hurricanes surged ahead by 30 points in the third quarter and never looked back.
Only two players returned from last season and UM had a completely new starting lineup on Monday: 6-6 University of Florida transfer Ra Shaya Kyle at center, 6-2 SMU transfer Jess Peterson at forward, Quinnipiac transfer Gal Raviv at guard, UNLV transfer Amarachi Kimpson at guard and returning sophomore guard Ahnay Adams.
“I think the first half nerves were high, we’re a new team, this was a lot of people’s first game, so I think a lot of people were nervous, including myself,” said Adams, who finished with 12 points, three assists and two steals. “We came out a little bit rocky, and then we talked to each other in the locker room and played better team basketball the second half.”
Miami outscored Hofstra 30-12 in the third period.
With the Hurricanes comfortably ahead after three quarters, UM coach Tricia Cullop had a chance to empty the bench. Twelve of the 14 players on the Hurricanes roster scored.
Kyle was the leading scorer with 13 points and had four rebounds, two steals and a block.
Adams said having a 6-6 center like Kyle on the court makes a big difference.
“You really can’t miss her, so it helps us a lot,” Adams said. “She’s going to get double teamed all year, so she’s been working on that in practice and being able to hit her and then cut…she draws so much attention. It’s nice to have someone like that on your team.”
Kyle returned the compliment: “To be a sophomore and the way she talks and communicates on the floor...the way Ahnay handles the pressure playing the guard spot, not a lot of people can do that. I appreciate having somebody who looks to pass inside to the post and is not selfish.”
Peterson added 10 points and eight rebounds and Raviv had 10 points and four assists. Raviv shot 4-of-11 overall and was 1-of-7 from three-point range, but Cullop had nothing but praise for the Israeli national team guard, who shined on the international stage over the summer.
“We’re only going to see good things from Gal going forward,” Cullup said. “No, she didn’t shoot well, but I know one thing, I feel very confident with the ball in her hands. She makes great decisions, has a good head on her shoulders, very high IQ, so even when the ball’s not falling, it was good to see her not put her head down and keep playing. That takes a lot of poise and maturity.”
Cullop added that Raviv was away with the Israeli team over the summer and missed bonding time with her new UM teammates. “It takes time to catch up all those bonds where everybody else had free time to go hang out and get something to eat and get to know each other,” Cullop said. “She’s playing catch up.”
Among the bench players who stood out to Cullop were Meredith Tippner, Candace Kpetikou and Soma Okolo.
“Meredith’s probably not going to be our leading scorer every game, but she gets three to five steals, she’s just a blue collar, hard-nosed scrappy kid,” Cullop said. “Candace only played 12 minutes, but she had a plus-27 when she was in, which is incredible. That’s hard to do. Her energy was really good. She rebounded well, made good decisions underneath, really, really impressed with her play off the bench.”
As for Okolo, the coach said: “She had a beautiful block, got her hands on some passes, got some rebounds, putbacks. She’s got one of the best verticals not just on our team, on both men’s and women’s teams. She’s got a 20-inch vertical.”
NBA Hall of Famer Ray Allen, who spent the final years of his storied career with the Miami Heat, was in the audience for the game and got a big ovation when they showed him on the scoreboard.