UM women beat Clemson on road 68-62, head into ACC tourney on three-game win streak
The University of Miami women’s basketball team enters March on a three-game roll after rallying from a 10-point deficit to beat Clemson 68-62 on the road Sunday afternoon.
It was the regular-season finale for the Hurricanes, who head into this week’s ACC tournament in Greensboro, N.C. with an 11-10 overall record and 8-10 league record. UM will play its opening tournament game on Thursday.
“We won more ACC games this year, with a lot going against us, than we did last year,” Meier said. “To win eight games in this conference against a Clemson team that started the season 8-1, beating Wake Forest, beating Carolina twice, so we have some Top 50 net ranking wins. I think we’ve been a little dismissed and they better start talking about Miami again.”
Meier took a moment to thank the UM administration, her staff, players, even the bus drivers for getting through all 18 regular-season games during the pandemic. “We played a full regular season, never missed a game,” she said. “You’re in this profession for a higher purpose and I cannot believe what it took from my players, staff, doctors, medical advisors to keep Miami safe. That is a victory beyond all else. And to have a near-.500 ACC season is huge. We feel good about ourselves. We’re streaking.”
The UM upperclassmen carried the load on Sunday, as they have much of the season. Redshirt junior Destiny Harden was the game’s leading scorer with 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Senior Endia Banks had 13 points, including a three-pointer with 50 seconds to go that gave Miami a 63-58 lead. She also made the final four three throws of the game.
Senior Kelsey Marshall added 12 points. Her three-pointer late in the game capped an 18-8 UM run, and the bench erupted.
“I thought we were terribly flat and disjointed in the third quarter, and then to respond on the road with Destiny’s huge three, Endia’s huge three, Sydney Roby battling inside, Sydney and Roby with interior defense, that changed the game for us,” Meier said.
With the victory, Meier ties former UM coach Ferne Labati with 303 career wins at the school
