The last time Miami women’s basketball took the floor at Watsco Center, its season came to an end. On Monday evening, the Hurricanes returned with a different result, dominating Florida Atlantic 75-48.
Miami opened its six-game homestand with a commanding victory behind a team-high 21 points from Ahnay Adams.
The Hurricanes enter the season without star center and first-team All-ACC selection Ra Shaya Kyle, who graduated after last season. Kyle started all 37 games, averaging 14 points and nine rebounds. The Hurricanes returned the four other starters — sophomore Natalie Wetzel, juniors Gal Raviv and Adams, and senior Amarachi Kimpson.
Freshman center Anna Liepina was inserted into the lineup. The Latvian averaged 16.4 points per game and 9.3 rebounds for Latvia at the FIBA U18 Women’s EuroBasket.
It was Adams who stole the show for the Canes.
She delivered a dominant performance, shooting 80% from the field and 2-for-2 from 3-point range, finishing with 21 points and 8 rebounds.
Raviv contributed 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, while Soma Okolo came off the bench to add another 11 points on 5-of-7 (71%) shooting.
Chattanooga transfer Gianna Corbitt led the Canes with 10 rebounds in her Miami debut.
The Hurricanes got things started early in the first quarter, as Liepina worked her way inside for a layup off the glass to tie the game at 2-2, marking her first collegiate points.
Miami kept the pressure in the paint as Raviv and Adams posted consecutive layups to give the Canes their first lead of the game — a lead they would never relinquish.
The Canes dominated the paint in the second quarter, scoring 16 of their 19 points inside while holding FAU to just two points in the paint. Miami’s strong interior play helped the Canes take a comfortable 36-25 lead into halftime.
UM kept its foot on the gas in the third quarter, scoring a game-high 24 points to extend the lead to 60-39. A 3-pointer from Adams in the midst of an 13-3 run gave Miami its largest lead of the game to that point at 22 points.
The fourth quarter was more of the same, with the Canes stepping up their defensive intensity. Miami held FAU to just three field goals, outscoring the Owls 15-9 in the final period to secure a dominant 75-48 victory.
Overall, Miami shot substantially better from the field than FAU. The Canes shot 30 of 58 (52%) from the field, while the Owls shot 17 of 54 (31%). A major factor was FAU missing 20 attempts from beyond the arc, compared with just six by Miami.
The Hurricanes return to action Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. against Jacksonville at Watsco Center.