UM women beat Georgia Southern 82-56 to stay alive, advance in WBIT
The second-seeded University of Miami women’s basketball team defeated Georgia Southern 82-56 Thursday at the Watsco Center in the first round of the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament (WBIT).
The Hurricanes (18-14) returned to postseason play after a two-year drought and dominated from start to finish to keep their season alive.
The Hurricanes shot 49 percent from the field while holding Georgia Southern (23-8) to 36 percent shooting. Miami also outrebounded the Eagles 43-29.
Junior guard Amarachi Kimpson led four Hurricanes in double figures including Gal Raviv (16 points), Ra Shaya Kyle (15 points) and Ahnay Adams (11 points). Kyle also had a team-high 10 rebounds.
After a close first half, the Hurricanes outscored Georgia Southern 52-28 to pull away and secure the win.
Miami made eight of its first 10 shots and finished the quarter on a 9-0 run to take a 22-12 lead into the second quarter.
Kimpson opened the second with a driving layup to move into double digit scoring, but Georgia Southern responded strongly and kept grinding away at the Hurricanes’ lead, cutting the deficit to 26-21. Miami went on to finish the half with a 30-28 advantage.
The second half began with the Hurricanes outscoring the Eagles 12-2 in the first five minutes to extend their lead to 42-30 after a Raviv 3-pointer.
Miami opened the fourth quarter with a 19-7 run to push its lead to 70-48.
The Hurricanes will face the winner of game between third-seeded Wisconsin and Oregon State. The second-round game will take place at the Watsco Center on Sunday and will air on ESPN+. Tipoff is set for noon.