UM freshman Ja’Leah Williams scores game winner in 46-45 upset of No. 15 Georgia Tech

Michelle Kaufman
·2 min read
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Ja’Leah Williams got drenched even before leaving the Watsco Center on a stormy Sunday afternoon. The University of Miami freshman guard was doused with water by her teammates in the locker room after her game-winning basket clinched a 46-45 win over 15th-ranked Georgia Tech.

It was UM’s first win over a Top 25 opponent since Feb. 17, 2019.

Williams, who attended Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach, finished with nine points, six rebounds and four steals, along with the game-winning layup, to lead Miami (9-5, 2-2 ACC) to the win. Her rooting section of about 20 included her family, high school coach, and AAU coach.

“It was important for us to get this win not only for us but for Coach Katie,” Williams said of coach Katie Meier. “I feel like we let her down sometimes because we work so hard, get so close, so we needed to push harder for her so she could be happy. She deserves happiness. She has a great team, and we have her back.”

The Hurricanes trailed by as many as nine points late in the third quarter but clamped down on defense. They held Georgia Tech (13-4, 4-2 ACC) to four points and forced seven turnovers in the final 10 minutes. They limited the Yellow Jackets to 28.6 percent shooting, their lowest mark of the season. Williams had back-to-back layups in the closing two minutes, including the game winner at 1:21.

Kelsey Marshall scored 12 for UM.

“I don’t know that anyone’s ever played as hard, with the size disadvantage that we had, of any team I’ve coached than this team tonight on the defensive end,” Meier said. “When it came down to crunch time, as exhausted as they were, I thought they did a really nice job of getting to the later looks in our offense, which is absolutely necessary against Georgia Tech. I love my team and we really deserved that win.”

Meier had a hint Williams would make an immediate impact from the team’s first preseason practice when the freshman stole the ball from fifth-year senior Kelsey Marshall during the opening drill.

“I was like `Oh my god, this kid isn’t backing down to anyone, she’s got some guts,” Meier said. “I know I wouldn’t have done that at Duke to a fifth-year senior. I would have been like, `Hi, my name’s Kate, I hope I’m not in your way.’ Ja’Leah just stole that ball, I thought, `We have a special one,’ and she hasn’t let me down.”

The Canes have a quick turnaround, as they host No. 16 Duke at home on Tuesday (2 p.m., ACC Network).