Nasty cold can’t stop UM’s Kyle from scoring career-high 30 points in win vs. FSU
Ra Shaya Kyle, feeling miserable with a nasty cold that kept her out of practice for two days, scored a career-high 30 points to lead the University of Miami women’s basketball team to an 89-73 win over rival Florida State University on Sunday afternoon at the Watsco Center.
The Seminoles had no answer for Kyle, the 6-6 center who transferred to UM from Florida as a graduate student this season. She shot 11-of-15 from the floor, went 8-of-9 from the free throw line and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
Coach Tricia Cullop shared that she “said a few prayers” for Kyle Saturday night and Sunday morning because she was unsure if she would be able to play.
“She didn’t feel good at all, and I thought she showed a lot of mental toughness to step up and still play,” Cullop said. “She didn’t want to let her teammates down. As a coach, I tried to mind voodoo her, told her sometimes you play your best when you don’t feel good, and she did. She had a career high, and I’m really, really proud of her.”
Kyle said she was not sure how she would play on Sunday, but was determined to try.
“I don’t even know how I did what I did because I was down really bad,” she said. “My body was sore and I was all stuffed up.”
The coach added that Kyle has shown her resilience all week.
“She’s a tough kid; the last game she got seven stitches in her forehead, and said, `I’m playing,’” Cullop said. “Most kids would say, `I can’t.’ She said she can because she really wants to win and help our team.”
Point guard Gal Raviv returned to the Miami starting lineup wearing a protective face mask after missing Thursday’s loss to 10th-ranked Louisville with a broken nose. Her presence was felt, as she dished out a game-high nine assists to go with 13 points.
“She made some beautiful passes to Shay rolling to the basket,” Cullop said of Raviv. “She’s one of the best passers I’ve coached and I think it was good for her to get out there and get used to playing with the mask and get some kind of conditioning back. When you sit out, you feel like crap and you’ve got your nose broken and it’s hard for your body to respond to that.”
Amarachi Simpson added 17 points for Miami, Ahnay Adams had 11 points and four assists, and Vittoria Blasigh chipped in 10 points.
Cullop said the stat she was most proud of was her team’s 22 assists.
“Twenty two assists and just 11 turnovers, we haven’t had that many assists in a while and it’s good to see our team being unselfish,” Cullop said. “Obviously, Gal Raviv was a big part of that. She almost had a double-double with points and assists.”
The Hurricanes improved their season record to 11-6 and 3-3 in the ACC. FSU dropped to 5-12 overall and 0-5 in conference play. Sole Williams led the Seminoles with 19 points.
Although the Seminoles had lost their first four ACC games this season, they played the Hurricanes tough through the first half.
FSU led 19-18 after the first quarter, Miami pushed ahead with a Kyle basket on the first play of the second quarter and the Canes went into the break ahead by two, 37-35.
Miami broke the game open in the second half and led by 19 with four minutes to go.
The student section boosted the energy in the stands all game long and got especially loud during the raffle for two tickets to the football national championship game on Jan. 19 between UM and Indiana University. With tickets starting at $3,000, it’s no wonder the two students who won the raffle on Sunday were elated.
Cullop opened her post-game remarks by thanking the crowd.
“I want to say I’m really appreciative of the fans, I thought they provided an incredible atmosphere for a rivalry game,” she said. “They really fueled our kids’ fire, especially in the second half.”
Longtime Hurricanes fans saw a familiar face on the FSU bench, Seminoles assistant coach Desma Thomas, a UM Sports Hall of Fame inductee who was a two-time All-Big East selection in the mid-1990s.
The Hurricanes play the next three games on the road, Thursday at No. 22 North Carolina, Jan. 22 at Notre Dame and Jan. 25 at SMU. Miami’s next home game is Jan. 29 against Duke.
This story was originally published January 11, 2026 at 4:55 PM.