Up three with just over a minute left in overtime, Miami women’s basketball had a three-point lead over the Quinnipiac Bobcats, looking to avoid its first loss of the season. Graduate student Haley Cavinder hit Ahnay Adams for a wide open three to give the Hurricanes a six-point advantage.
Adams’ three was enough for the ‘Canes to survive the Bobcats at the Watsco Center on Sunday afternoon, winning 83-74.
Halfway though the third quarter, the Hurricanes were up 52-30 against the Bobcats. Then, the Bobcats went on a 35-12 run to storm all the way back. With 1:14 left on the clock, Bobcat forward Anna Foley hit a three to give Quinnipiac its first lead of the afternoon.
With 12 seconds left, Haley Cavinder hit a three to tie the game at 67, giving Miami its first points in over four minutes.
In the last seconds of the game, Bobcat guard Gal Raviv missed a go-ahead layup, giving Miami one last chance to win the game in regulation. Haley Cavinder threw an outlet pass to her sister Hanna, who just missed the game-winning layup, sending the game to overtime.
In overtime, the Hurricanes outscored the Bobcats 16-7, giving Miami just enough to remain undefeated.
Haley Cavinder came up huge for the Hurricanes this afternoon. The graduate student finished with 30 points, a season-high nine assists and seven rebounds in the win. She shot 52% from the field in the process.
The Bobcats struggled mightily in the first half, letting the deficit slip to as much as 15. In the second half, everything turned around. From the third quarter on, Quinnipiac shot 61% from the field and 67% from beyond the arc.
In contrast, UM went ice cold in the second half, playing a huge contributor in the 22-point lead that was given up. The ’Canes shot 38% from the field and 21% from three.
The Bobcats leading scorer was Raviv. The Israeli native scored 25 points on 10-of-24 shooting from the field. Raviv tallied five threes as well.
As Haley Cavinder pointed out in her post-game interview, Miami’s defensive efforts throughout the game helped in its victory on Sunday. UM out-rebounded Quinnipiac 39-30 in the game and 24-12 in the first half.
Early in the first half, Haley Cavinder hit a layup to extend Miami’s lead to 11. That score capitalized an 8-0 UM run.
For the fourth time this season, all nine ’Canes who checked in scored.
The Hurricanes play host to the Vanderbilt Commodores in the ACC-SEC challenge in their next game. Wednesday’s contest will be played at 5 p.m. at the Watsco Center, in Coral Gables, Fla.