The women’s basketball team is off to a 10-0 start after defeating the UMass Lowell River Hawks 84-53 at the BankUnited Center on Sunday afternoon. The Hurricanes are now just two wins away from tying the best start ever recorded in program history. They remain the only undefeated team in the ACC.
“It’s an honor [to be 10-0],” sophomore forward Erykah Davenport said. “We work so hard, so we’ve earned it. This is going to fuel us even more to hold our record and play the best we can play.”
The Canes came out exactly how they needed to in the first quarter, shooting 57 percent from the field while holding the Red Hawks to 27 percent shooting. After an impressive start to the second quarter by UMass Lowell (1-6), Miami went on an 11-0 run beginning with 7:31 left in the period and finished the half on a 23-6 run. Miami led 46-26 at halftime.
The Canes led by as much as 32 in the game and continued to dominate in the second half as the River Hawks were simply outclassed. For the second game in a row, Miami never trailed.
Junior guard Adrienne Motley had another great game, scoring 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting and grabbing five rebounds. Davenport added 10 points and five boards of her own.
Miami’s defense was suffocating, forcing UMass Lowell into 26 turnovers and just 35 percent shooting for the game. When asked about the consistent effort the team gives day in and day out, Head Coach Katie Meier referenced former Cane Morgan Stroman, who played for Meier from 2009-13.
“It’s kind of a culture,” Meier said. “Right before the game, I looked across and saw Morgan Stroman, and she was one of those players that came here and set the standard. I wanted my team to play hard for her so that she could see the legacy that she left.”
The Canes also benefited greatly from scoring 44 points in the paint, compared to just 14 by the River Hawks.
Miami has some tough games coming up after a 12-day break, including matchups against Baylor and Indiana.
“We need a little bit of a break,” Meier said when asked about the upcoming games. “I liked our rhythm today, but some bad habits kind of crept up. We are going to need to make shots for 40 minutes, so we will definitely work on that.”
The Canes next play Baylor University in the Florida Sunshine Classic at 7 p.m. on Dec. 19 in Winter Park.