Honoring its seniors at the Watsco Center Thursday night, the Miami Hurricanes women’s basketball team turned its four-game losing streak into a four-game win streak after crushing the Pittsburgh Panthers 79-59.
The Lady Canes fourth straight victory now makes them 16-12 overall and 8-9 in ACC play.
Ra Shaya Kyle shined on her senior night, scoring a career high 36 points. On the other side of the ball, she brought in 13 rebounds, marking her 19th double-double of the season.
Other notable performances include Gal Raviv with 14 points and Amarachi Kimpson posting 10 on the offensive side. Also, sophomore Ahnay Adams had 10 rebounds, which was a career high. The Canes have continued consistency over the past four games on both ends of the ball.
The energy in Watsco center was electric following tipoff, sending Miami on a 13-2 run over the Panthers in the first two minutes. They were able to extend this lead to 17-4, working hard to put up points and block.
However, the momentum fell slightly, giving the Panthers an opportunity to score, and they took it. They went 7-0 to close the quarter, wrapping up the quarter at 17-11 Miami.
The Hurricanes needed the second quarter to build up this momentum and they did so despite pressure from Pittsburgh. It wasn’t until after the first timeout that Miami turned a 3-point deficit into a 33-21 lead. They outscored the Panthers 16-10 in the second quarter, with eight points from Kyle and five from Kimpson.
After the half, Miami went on a 7-0 run, scoring 75 percent from the field. Overall, the Canes shot 47.8 percent from the field, demonstrating their determination on offense in the third quarter.
This sent Miami into a 40-21 lead, forcing a timeout by Pittsburgh. The break only gave Miami more momentum, adding six more points to the board and leaving the Panthers scoreless for almost three minutes.
In the third quarter Kyle went five-for-five and recorded 12 points in the quarter, adding to her 36 point total. The Hurricanes had 23 points in the period, stretching their lead to 56-38 heading into the fourth.
Miami showed off their physicality in the last 10 scoring 16 of its points in the paint, led by Kyle with 10 and Kaviv with four. They also controlled the glass, outrebounding the Panthers by 6.
The final regular-season home game ended in a 79-58 victory for the Canes.
The Hurricanes face off against Georgia Tech in their last regular season game in Atlanta on Sunday. Tipoff is at 2 p.m.