Miami looks for season sweep over Florida State at home Sunday

Freshman guard Ja'Leah Williams leaps in a rebound attempt in Miami's upset win over No. 15 Georgia Tech on Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022 at the Watsco Center. Photo credit: Alex Carnochan
Freshman guard Ja'Leah Williams leaps in a rebound attempt in Miami's upset win over No. 15 Georgia Tech on Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022 at the Watsco Center.
Freshman guard Ja'Leah Williams leaps in a rebound attempt in Miami's upset win over No. 15 Georgia Tech on Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022 at the Watsco Center. Photo credit: Alex Carnochan

The Miami women’s basketball team looks to end its two-game slide in a matchup against in-state rival Florida State Sunday at noon inside the Watsco Center.

Miami (12-10, 5-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) fell to No. 18 Notre Dame by double-digits on the road Thursday.

“Defensively, we were trying to disrupt [Notre Dame], trying to work really, really hard on turning them over, trying to get our opportunities from that,” Miami head coach Katie Meier said. “I thought [Notre Dame’s] defense caused us to get shy around the rim and that really affected our offensive aggressiveness. We’ve won [scoring] 53 and won at 47 this year, so the offensive output isn’t shocking, but it’s almost impossible to hold Notre Dame to 50 and they did their job tonight.”

Florida State (12-10, 6-6 ACC) enters Coral Gables on a two-game win streak. Both teams face dwindling chances of making this year’s NCAA Tournament, nonetheless.

But even if the stakes weren’t high, sweeping FSU in regular season play remains a major bright spot for UM.

The Hurricanes have lost three of their last four games, yet all of these came from teams ranked in the AP Top 25. FSU is having a season that almost mirrors the Canes’ and will be a more level opponent.

In Miami’s defeat against the Fighting Irish, graduate guard Kelsey Marshall extended her personal scoring streak to nine consecutive games with double-digit points. She scored 18 points on six 3’s, shooting above 50% from behind the arc, and will need another stellar performance in the Canes’ offensive attack.

Florida State’s primary threat comes from all-around point guard Morgan Jones, who leads the Seminoles in points, rebounds, steals and blocks. Keeping her presence contained will help reduce FSU’s tempo on both sides of the court.

Florida State holds a dominant 48-17 record against Miami all-time, but the Hurricanes beat won earlier this year on the road 59-52. That game marked the first time in eight years Miami had won in Tallahassee. It was a tightly contested contest throughout, but the Canes’ late-game defense proved to be the winning edge.