A new season of Miami women’s basketball began at the Watsco Center Monday night. Under second-year head coach Tricia Cullop, her newly assembled roster beat the Hofstra Pride 83-48 on opening night.
Hofstra won the opening tip and senior guard Emma Von Essen hit a quick three-pointer to open the scoring. On the other end of the floor, sophomore Quinnipiac transfer guard Gal Raviv got to the foul line to convert one of her two shots.
Graduate forward Sandra Magolico sank in three quick baskets for the Pride. She was the team’s leading scorer, notching 12 points and being the only Hofstra player in double figures.
It was a cold start for Miami, as Hofstra took an early 6-1 lead. Down 10-7, Cullop called a timeout which went on to lit a fire in her team.
Miami rallied back to lead 13-10 with a few minutes left to go in the first quarter. Freshman forward Natalie Wetzel had two big defensive plays and the Hurricanes finished the opening quarter leading 18-12.
The second quarter would start eerily similar to the first with a Hofstra explosion. At the 7:46 mark of the quarter, the Hurricanes led 22-18 as Cullop signaled for a timeout.
Out of the break, Miami drilled three three-pointers in a row. The first one was knocked down by redshirt freshman guard Simone Pelish, her first points of her collegiate career.
The team shot 32 three pointers, while only converting eight of them. Additionally, free throws were an issue for the Hurricanes as they shot just 52% from the line.
Sophomore guard Ahnay Adams finished the second quarter with five points and ended the game with 13 points, shooting 50% from the field. Her defensive prowess continued to shine throughout the game.
UM finished its first half of play, taking a commanding 37-22 lead.
Unlike the first two quarters, Miami got off to a fast start and never looked back. At the 7:36 mark Miami held a 46-26 lead. Wetzel hit her first points of her career on a three-ball.
Another freshman, Meredith Tippner, played a stellar third quarter, scoring two consecutive layups. She finished the game with great play on both sides of the floor, making a few nice defensive plays. With one quarter left to play, UM led 67-34.
“Meredith Tippner, you know, she’s not probably going to be our leading scorer every game, but she gets three to five steals every game,” Cullop said. “She’s just a blue collar, you know, hard nosed kid that’s scrappy.”
Graduate center Ra Shaya Kyle led the team with four defensive rebounds and had 12 points.
Miami continued to play hard in the fourth quarter. 12 Hurricanes players landed in the scoring column while four reached double figures. They soundly defeated the Pride 83-48.
“Unselfishness, and that’s what I want to see. I want this team to continue to share the ball, find the best shots,” Cullop said.
Miami will be back at the Watsco Center 11 a.m. on Thursday for a matchup against the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats.
