Coral Gables, FL – It was anything but a good night on the court for the Miami Hurricanes. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish started the game on a 10-0 run. Everything went downhill from there. Simply put, there was no rhythm at all in this contest. The Canes weren’t clicking on their shots and looked outmatched in size and strength as they got blown out 82-42 in a loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Overall, not the performance Miami wanted
It’s an understatement to say that the Hurricanes had an off night. From the get-go it was pretty clear how this game would turn out. It wasn’t uncommon for any of the Notre Dame players to guard 2-on-1 against any of UM’s top scorers. The Hurricanes were able to go on a 6-0 to cut the deficit down to four with 3:38 left in the 1st, but that was their only glimpse of hope.
Even Haley Cavinder didn’t look like her usual self out there on the court. The Fighting Irish defense just seemed to get the best of her at different moments throughout the game. Cavinder finished with just eight points, five rebounds, and three assists. This was only the second game all season long where she failed to hit the double-digit mark in points.
The most significant player in a Canes jersey was Cameron Williams. Williams recorded a double-double for the seventh time this season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Jasmyne Roberts also delivered a strong performance. She had nine points, six rebounds, and four assists. Another Hurricane reached a career milestone and this time it was Roberts who recorded her 1,000th point.
The Hurricanes got beat in nearly every single category during the game. However, the most unacceptable was the fact they failed to make a single three-pointer in the entire match. You read that right. UM was 0-16 from behind the arc. Some shots were close to being made while others were just bad shot attempts of trying to get rid of the ball. Luck just wasn’t on their side.
NCAA Women’s Public Enemy #1?
Notre Dame truly showed in this contest why they’re the nation’s top-ranked team. They are the fourth-highest-scoring team on offense, averaging 86.7 points per game.
Four of their starters reached the double-figure mark in points. Liatu King led the way with a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Sonia Citron had 19 points and eight rebounds. Hannah Hidalgo, the nation’s second-leading scorer, put up 18 points and Olivia Miles added 14 points to the score sheet.
Their defense was also impressive. They were able to read many of the Hurricanes’ plays as if they were books. The Fighting Irish were successfully able to create opportunities by being tough on defense.
Coach Niele Ivey reflected on her team’s strong defensive performance, saying
“It shows the progression of what we’ve talked about. We came into the season saying that we want our identity to fall on our defense. I think, with the addition of Cass coming back from injury…the addition of Liatu, has allowed us to do that. Soni’s the best two-way defender. We’ve also brought in a lot of athleticism, that helps us be a better defensive team.”
Hear the entire presser of Notre Dame Women’s Head Coach Niele Ivey and Liatu King following their blowout win over the Miami Hurricanes @LemonCityLive pic.twitter.com/fJ5onlKQLe
— Ricardo Urrusuno (@RickScores) February 21, 2025
No more ranked opponents…for now
For Miami, The ranked opponent gauntlet is over for now. Miami just finished a stretch of playing four ranked ACC teams over the past five games, falling short of victory in all of them. Despite this tough loss, UM’s ACC Tournament hopes are still alive. The Hurricanes play Wake Forest this Sunday at the Watsco Center. Tip-off starts at noon.
When asked about the team’s preparation for the next contest, Coach Tricia Cullop said
“I think the big thing…we’re gonna have to be ready for some motions, some open motioning. They do a really good job of slipping screens and setting screens…and they have a lot of different screening combinations. So, we’re going to really have to talk defensively…and then we’ve got to also make sure that we’re guarding. They got some really good three-point shooters.”
Hear the entire joint presser of Miami Hurricanes Head Coach Tricia Cullop along with Cameron Williams and Jasmyne Roberts following their blowout loss to Notre Dame@LemonCityLive pic.twitter.com/ivjf9NN83E
— Ricardo Urrusuno (@RickScores) February 21, 2025
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