Haley Cavinder scores 32 in Hurricanes 70-63 win over SMU

Cavinder Hurricanes SMU

Credit: @CanesWBB/X


Coral Gables, FL – The Miami Hurricanes had been freefalling for the past seven games. Their last win had come against Oregon State on December 21st. Sitting at 11-1, it was their best start in program history under a first-year head coach. The Hurricanes got their 12th win of the season thanks to Haley Cavinder scoring a season-high 32 points in Miami’s 70-63 win over the SMU Mustangs.

Supercharged defense gets the job done

SMU were held to just 33% shooting on 72 shot attempts. They only shot for 24% on 33 shot attempts from behind the arc. Their only lead of the game came in the 3rd quarter and lasted for a total of 1:09.

UM outrebounded the Mustangs 47-42. Darrione Rogers and Hanna Cavinder led the Lady Canes with eight rebounds while Jasmyne Roberts and Cameron Williams each had seven.

Rogers also had two of the four blocks by the Canes. For herself, the feeling of getting back on the win column was “amazing.”

Regarding their play on defense, Coach Tricia Cullop said,

“They weren’t going to be denied today. Even when things didn’t go well, we had 19 turnovers, that’s not a good thing, but they didn’t let it bother them. They had bounce back ability. Make a mistake, let’s snap back. Let’s get a stop on the other end. You can’t let momentum shifts bother you, and that’s where we matured with this game.”

Offensive effort on point

Haley Cavinder shot for 62.5% (10-of-16) overall, including 66.7% (6-of-9) from downtown. Her previous season-high was a 31-point performance against the Florida Gators on November 16. When asked about her performance, Tricia Cullop said,

“Her teammates did a great job screening for her because she doesn’t get those open looks. A lot of teams are denying her, trapping her, hard hedging her. She sees all kings of defenses…She’s a phenomenal shooter, phenomenal scorer, and competitor.”

Rogers also had a double-digit point performance with 13 points, while 12 came from 3-point shooting. Before the game, she was awarded with a special commemorative basketball for surpassing 1,500 points in her career.

Hanna Cavinder made some key passes during the game, and it came as no surprise that she led the team with 8 assists.

Overall, it was UM’s second-best 3-point performance of the season, shooting 44% (11 of 25). They led by as many as 18 points in the 4th quarter and had a 15-0 run at one stretch during the game.

Up next

The 12-8 (2-7) Hurricanes are back in action at the Watsco Center on Thursday at 7:00 pm against 11-10 (3-6) Virginia.

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