The Hurricanes started off the holiday weekend with a bang, opening the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament with a dominant 97-54 rout of the North Carolina A&T Aggies. Miami’s performance has sent them to the championship round of the tournament.
“We’re happy to be back home and hosting this high-level tournament again. It was great to see everyone get in the game and score,” head coach Katie Meier said.
Miami shot lights-out against the Aggies on Friday afternoon, making 10 of 20 total 3-point shots and 33 of 62 total field goal attempts, their best shooting percentage of the season.
“We’re finally hitting the three and we needed that. We won the bench points battle, 51-12, and that is so important for us,” Meier said.
UM scored 90 points in a game for the first time since 2018, when the team reached the NCAA Tournament. The win was powered by several players getting on the board for 3-point shots, spearheaded by senior Fresno State transfer Haley Cavinder, who made three of the team’s total of 10 made shots from deep. Every player recorded at least a point in the first half.
Another team record was matched by the ‘Canes in Friday’s game when the team scored the most points in a half (56) since 2018.
Four players in Miami’s lineup scored in double figures against the Aggies on Friday, including freshman forward Lazaria Spearman, who led the team in scoring with 12 points.
The second half was an offensive shootout for both teams, as the ‘Canes and the Aggies combined for 48 points in the third quarter, with North Carolina A&T outscoring Miami 25-23 in the quarter.
On the defensive side of the ball, Miami’s defense was all over the Aggies from the start, creating 21 turnovers for the team in the first half alone and tallying 13 steals in the first 20 minutes. UM did an impressive job of turning defense into offense, scoring 36 points off the Aggies’ turnovers.
The Hurricanes’ defense continued to shine as it clamped down in the final 10 minutes, holding North Carolina A&T to only eight points in the final quarter. Sophomore guard Jasmyne Roberts powered the team on offense, recording seven of her nine total points in the fourth quarter.
The Hurricanes will play against the Columbia Lions up next in the championship round of the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament on Sunday. The game will begin about 30 minutes after the end of the tournament consolation game, which begins at noon.