Hurricanes hold on in a battle with Georgia Tech

Senior guard Haley Cavinder shoots a layup in the first quarter of Miami’s Pink Game versus Georgia Tech. The 'Canes took the win with a final score of 64-58 on Sunday, Feb. 5 at the Watsco Center.

The Miami Hurricanes were able to take down a tough Georgia Tech team thanks to a dominant rebounding performance and late-game execution.

In this Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) showdown, the ‘Canes outlasted the Yellow Jackets, 64-58, on Sunday afternoon at the Watsco Center.

“We are thrilled with that win,” Miami head coach Katie Meier said. “They are very physical and very hard to score against, so we had to be ready for frustration and I think that’s what we did so well.”

Miami (15-8, 8-4 ACC) handled the Yellow Jackets’ physicality well, especially around the glass. The ‘Canes outrebounded their opponent, 51-25, grabbing more than twice as many rebounds as Georgia Tech (12-11, 3-9 ACC).

Miami took a 26-16 lead halfway through the second quarter, primarily led by Jasmyne Roberts. The sophomore guard ended the game with a near double-double with a team-high 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

Despite UM’s strong start, the Yellow Jackets found momentum, going on a 13-4 scoring run and capping it off with a buzzer-beater 3-pointer by freshman guard Tonie Morgan. This left them trailing by just one point at the half, 30-29.

A back-and-forth battle continued in the third quarter while Cameron Swartz led the way for the Yellow Jackets. Swartz netted a game-high 19 points and shot 80% from the free throw line, sinking eight of her 10 attempts. The senior guard kept her shooting touch hot from beyond the arc as well, draining three 3-pointers and shooting 50% from deep.

Heading into the fourth quarter with Miami leading 49-45, either team had a shot at winning the game.

“It was a matter of executing, staying faithful and not giving up,” Meier said.

And executing was exactly what Miami did in the final minutes of the game.

After Georgia Tech cut the lead down to two with under a minute remaining, Meier called a timeout to regroup the squad. On a set play from out of bounds underneath the hoop, Roberts was able to score a layup and extend Miami’s lead to four with 28 seconds left.

With late-game discipline and preparedness, Miami got stops on defense, grabbed rebounds and made free throws. Veteran guard Hanna Cavinder made two separate trips to the charity stripe with under 30 seconds remaining and drained all four of her free throws to ice the game and seal the victory for the ‘Canes.

Miami hopes to extend its two-game win streak this Thursday at the Watsco Center as they host in-state rival No. 23 Florida State.