Tied 70-70 in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, Miami was forced into overtime against Stanford.
After missing the ACC Tournament last season with a 4-14 conference record, the Hurricanes had something to prove, and they did.
On Wednesday afternoon at Gas South Arena, No. 12 seed Miami pulled an 83-76 win over Stanford in the first round of the ACC Tournament. The victory marks Miami’s first ACC Tournament win since the 2023-2024 season.
Stanford opened the game with an early 8-4 lead, but Miami responded quickly with a 15-0 run driven by Gal Raviv and Ra Shaya Kyle. The Cardinals went scoreless for more than five minutes, before cutting the deficit to 19-10 at the end of the first quarter. The Canes shot 47% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc in the opening period.
Behind Kyle’s early scoring, Miami extended its lead 23-10 in the second quarter. Stanford answered with an 11-2 run cutting the deflect to four points, 25-21. The Cardinals later regained the lead at 37-31 and took a 39-37 advantage into halftime.
The third quarter was a back-and-forth battle with three ties before the Hurricanes regained control. The Canes built an eight point lead at 58-50 and later stretched it to 13. Miami entered the fourth quarter ahead 65-52.
Stanford throughout the entirety of the fourth quarter held Miami to only five points. Kyle accounted for all of the Hurricanes’ points in the period and grabbed four key rebounds. Miami shot 0-for-7 from the three point range and were 2-for-10 from the field in the quarter. Stanford outscored the Hurricanes 18-5 to tie the game at 70-70 and force overtime.
Amarachi Kimpson opened overtime with a three-pointer to end Miami’s seven-minute scoring drought. The Cardinal attempted to gain a lead, but the Hurricanes closed the game 83-76.
Three Canes scored in double figures. Kyle led the way with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Raviv and Kimpson each added 20 points. Raviv also recorded six assists, while Kimpson collected three rebounds.
As a team, Miami shot 50% from the field, 27% from three point range and 78% from the free throw line. Despite committing 17 turnovers, the Hurricanes scored 40 points in the paint, six fast-break points, six off the bench points and 14 points off turnovers.
Consistency has challenged the Canes throughout the season.
In their Nov. 3 over Hofstra, Miami shot just 8-for-32 from the three point range despite an 83-48 victory. In a Feb. 8 to Florida State, the Hurricanes shot 36% from the field and 19% from beyond the arc in a 87-70 defeat.
To compete with No. 5 seed Notre Dame in the second round of the Women’s ACC Tournament, Miami will need to improve its shooting efficiency. The teams are set to face off at 1:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon inside of Gas South Arena.
