Women’s Basketball: Miami notches first ACC win

With Miami leading 68-64 with only 4:13 to play, the women’s basketball team turned to the most unlikely player to snap a five-game losing streak.

Senior Amy Audibert sparked an 11-2 run by recording the first three-pointer of her career and scored five of her season-high seven points in the final 3:47 to lead Miami past Boston College 83-68.

The Hurricanes improved their record to 10-10 (1-4) and earned their first ACC victory on the season, while Boston College dropped to 10-8 (0-4) and remained winless in the conference.

“I think you saw a different spirit on our team, a lot of camaraderie, support and positive communication,” Head Coach Katie Meier said. “Coming off a game after shooting such a horrible percentage, to shoot 52 percent is very rewarding as a coach and I’m very happy for this team that they responded.”

Miami’s offensive woes had been a cause of their recent slide.

Since the beginning of ACC play, the Hurricanes had only averaged 48.5 points per game and shot 29.2 percent from the field. Miami was also coming off a season-low 37 points on 24.6 percent shooting against Georgia Tech.

But, Miami regained their form offensively, which reflected their play from the first eight games.

The Hurricanes 37 points at halftime matched their total points scored against Georgia Tech, as they went into the intermission with an 11 point advantage.

Miami’s offense carried over into the second-half, as the team shot 51.7 percent for the game.

Another factor for Miami’s success was the performance of senior Renee Taylor.

The ACC’s leading scorer bounced back with a team-high 26 points after just scoring eight points in back-to-back ACC contests.

“It started with us being aggressive from the beginning, Taylor said. “I think it was good team basketball and my teammates opened it up for me and gave me a lot of shots to hit today.”

Miami’s recent struggles have also been attributed to the lack of consistent production from game-to-game.

The production was there from the outset Thursday night with four players scoring in double-figures.

Freshman Charmaine Clark, who had scored two points or less in the last seven games, had the first breakout game of her career.

Clark was a force inside the paint, scoring a career high 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting and also grabbed five rebounds with two blocked shots.

Junior Albrey Grimsley and Maurita Reid combined for 26 points and carried the perimeter game, connecting on three three-pointers apiece.

The Hurricanes’ ability to hit timely shots when the Eagles threatened was a deciding factor in the outcome.

After Boston College started the second half on a 9-2 run, Clark converted a three-point play to extend the Hurricanes lead to six. Taylor also scored on two separate occasions with the lead cut to four and Audibert’s three pointer sealed the win.

Although being outrebounded 41-28 on the glass without the presence of sophomore Brittany Denson (unspecified team reasons), the Hurricanes were able to take advantage of their opportunities, scoring 16 points off the 19 turnovers they forced.

Meier felt her team came together well despite their tough times.

“I give all the credit to the team,” Meier said. “For them to get their confidence back on their own was really impressive.”

Miami returns to action on Jan. 25 at Virginia Tech.

Alex Kushel may be contacted at a.kushel@umiami.edu.