UM women stave off Stanford 83-76 in overtime to advance in ACC tournament
The University of Miami women’s basketball team, back in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament after missing out last season, staved off a furious comeback by Stanford to win the opening game 83-76 in overtime on Wednesday.
All-ACC center Ra Shaya Kyle, a graduate student, led the Hurricanes with 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting and had a game-high 11 rebounds. It was her 20th double-double of the season.
Miami guards Gal Raviv and Amarachi Kimpson each scored 20. Raviv added six rebounds and a team-high six assists.
Miami cruised into the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia, but sputtered and Stanford took advantage, going into a zone defense and outscoring UM 18-5 in the final stretch to force overtime.
The 13th-seeded Cardinal had all the momentum going into overtime following an 11-0 run to end regulation, but the 12th-seeded Hurricanes rallied and retook control of the game. They made eight of their nine free throws to secure the win.
“I was really proud of our players because in the fourth quarter, Stanford made a nice run at us, they played great defense, and we were really resilient to force overtime and make sure in overtime to extend the lead,” said UM coach Tricia Cullop. “Proud of our composure and glad we’re playing another game.”
The Hurricanes (17-13, 8-10) will play No. 5 seed Notre Dame (20-9) in the second round at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. The game will be televised on ACC Network.
Stanford coach Kate Paye praised Miami’s defense and said the Hurricanes were difficult to guard, especially Kyle, who had her way all game long.
“It’s very challenging guarding number 0, she’s a real force in there,” Kaye said of Kyle. “Their guards are difficult to guard. We turned the ball over too much in the second half and that contributed to their third-quarter run.”
Kyle averaged a double-double all season, so Cullop said it was not a surprise to see her stats on Wednesday.
“It’s something we’re used to and we expect, and I think she expects it of herself,” Cullop said of the sixth-year center, who transferred from the University of Florida and is a finalist for the Lisa Leslie Award for the nation’s top center. “She’s one of the top players in this league, one of the top players in the nation at her position.
“I liked Shay’s understanding the double teams and how to share the ball. She draws a lot of attention. They were doing everything they could to make it difficult for her to score, but her composure, willingness to do whatever it takes, set a good screen, make a pass for somebody else to score, I really loved that.”
Kyle’s free-throw shooting was also vital. She went 3 of 4 from the line in overtime, and Kimpson made all four of her overtime attempts.
“Free throws is something we emphasize in every single practice,” Kyle said. “It’s easy, so that’s what was going through my mind, just knock your free throws down.”
Kimpson said she tried to relax from the line in crunch time.
“Every close game free throws is such a big thing, so I just tell myself to take my time,” she said. “Making more free throws means more possessions they would need to score against us.”
The Hurricanes have won five of their past six games. Their only loss was a 30-point rout at Georgia Tech in the final regular-season game on Sunday, which Cullop and her players say they have already forgotten.
“Coming into the ACC tournament, it’s 0-0, basically the start of a new season,” Kyle said. “It’s win or go home. So, we all just locked in with each other on and off the court and made sure we knew that we’re here to handle business.”
Stanford was led by Courtney Ogden with 22 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter. Hailee Swain added 17 points for the Cardinal and Lara Somfai had 12. Stanford finished the season 19-13 and 8-10 in the ACC.