Men’s Basketball

Eric Williams had 23 points and 11 rebounds and reserve Trent Strickland added a season-high 13 points, helping fifth-ranked Wake Forest beat Miami 94-82 Saturday.

Justin Gray finished with 20 points and the Demon Deacons (17-3, 5-2 ACC) cruised in the second half to improve to 10-0 at home less than 48 hours after a heartbreaking, overtime loss at Georgia Tech. Jamaal Levy scored 15 points.

A winter storm dropped several inches of snow in Winston-Salem, leaving several hundred empty seats at Lawrence Joel Coliseum. Wake Forest’s defense also was a no-show in the first half, allowing the Hurricanes (13-6, 4-4) to shoot 56 percent-including 91 percent (10-of-11) on three-pointers-and take a 49-48 lead at the break.

Anthony Harris, averaging 12.4 points coming in, beat that total about 10 minutes into the game and had 18 of his career-high 28 in the opening 20 minutes. Guillermo Diaz added 14 of his 21 before the half.

It was tied at 63 before the Deacons finally took control. Williams started a 16-4 run with a dunk in traffic, and Chris Ellis added one of his own about a minute later. Chris Paul and Gray added three-pointers, and Strickland drove for an acrobatic lay-up to put Wake Forest ahead 74-65.

Williams’ hook from in close increased the margin to 12, and Ellis later made his only three of the game to make it 84-69, forcing a timeout by Miami Coach Frank Haith with about six minutes left. It wasn’t a very good homecoming for Haith, the first-year head coach who spent five seasons as an assistant at Wake Forest earlier in his career.

With shots going in from all over the court in the opening half, Haith must have been thinking about getting a victory in his return. Diaz was 4-of-4 from beyond the arc, Robert Hite was 2-for-2, Harris went 3-of-4 and even Raymond Hicks contributed his first three-pointer of the season.

At one point, the Deacons were shooting 80 percent-and trailing by a point. They closed the half on a 9-3 run, capped by a lay-up from Levy, to cut Miami’s lead to one.

Hite came off the bench for the first time this season and added 18 for the Hurricanes. He was late for practice Friday and was benched for the first two minutes.

While former University of Miami sprinter Lauryn Williams received honorable recognition for winning a silver medal in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, many other UM athletes went unnoticed, including senior Kim Barrett, who competed for the Jamaican National Team.

Barrett, who is the latest addition to the Hurricanes’ track and field team, joined the Jamaican throwers squad after getting notoriety as a six-time All-American in the SEC with the Florida Gators. She finished No. 28 in the shot put.

“It was just absolutely the biggest rush because you are always told this is the ultimate you are training for and competing for and then one day you are just there,” Barrett said. “I trained really hard for the NCAA competitions and trials and that’s how I got my berth on the Jamaican team.”

While her teammates laugh and joke during practice, Barrett is straight-faced and serious, relentlessly working on the mechanics of her throws. Drenched in sweat, she continually works with her coaches to improve her game and gives it her all every time she steps on the field.

Barrett’s superior work ethic is exactly what coaches at UM are hoping will catch on with the other girls.

“She’s a hard worker who leads by example. She always wants to do more and push herself further. And she has high expectations for herself, which makes her an all around great leader for this team,” said throws coach Reneta Siler.

Barrett is a leader. She leads through example. She gives it her all and brings attitude to practice. Having an Olympian on the squad who knows that practice and determination are what it takes to be the best should help the No. 12 Hurricanes.

Barrett and the Hurricanes return to action Sunday at the Gator Invitational in Gainesville. Barrett was named ACC Indoor Track and Field Performer of the Week on Jan. 24.

Mike Holt can be contacted at m.holt@umiami.edu

The University of Miami baseball team kicked off its 2005 season with an explosive 14-0 defeat of the alumni in front of 1,518 fans Saturday night at Mark Light Field.

The game represented a throwback to tradition with close to 50 former Hurricanes, including such greats as current Cleveland Indian Alex Cora (1994-1996) as well as Tampa Bay Devil Ray Aubrey Huff (1997-1998). With an impressive offensive performance, the game also marked the tradition of excellence that has come to be expected out of Miami’s squads.

The performance is even more impressive when you take the time to appreciate the talent fielded by the alumni team, consisting of some of the best players ever to put on a Hurricane uniform. After the game, Hurricanes Head Coach Jim Morris was quite pleased with the outcome, but said nothing to take away from the alumni team

“This is a great game for us,” Morris said. “It is always great to play against all the former players who return. These guys we play against are not just alumni but very good players. The game will help us prepare for FIU on Tuesday.”

The Hurricanes, however, fielded an impressive lineup of their own, consisting of Danny Figueroa (CF), Paco Figueroa (2B/OF), Ryan Braun (SS/3B), Jon Jay (OF), Brendan Katin (OF/C), Roger Thomas (2B), Danny Valencia (1B/SS), Gaby Sanchez (3B/OF), Eddy Rodriguez (C) and Dan Touchet, the starting pitcher.

Danny Figueroa had a particularly big night, leading the Hurricanes with five RBIs and a 3-for-4 performance at the plate.

In the first inning, Braun homered to centerfield to put Miami up 2-0. It was a lead that the Hurricanes would never concede. The ‘Canes didn’t yield much to the alumni offensively, as the defense displayed a business-like approach throughout the game, even if it was an informal exhibition.

The fifth inning was where the Hurricanes did most of their damage. First baseman Valencia singled to right field, scoring Jay, who lead off the inning with a walk and Katin, who reached base on a single. A two-run homerun over the left field fence by Danny Figueroa put the Hurricanes up 11-0, with Alex Garabedian scoring after reaching base on a fielder’s choice.

Morris emphasized the play of his defense.

“I thought we played really well,” he said. “We played outstanding defense, and the one error we made was a really tough call to make. It had to have been an unbelievable play by Roger Tomas.”

Morris gave credit to the all-around play of his team.

“Our pitchers threw strikes, and we got some big hits with two outs,” he said. “This is the type of game we’re going to have to play [running and stealing bases]. It’s a good game for us for many, many reasons.”

Morris said he’s looking forward to opening up the regular season against cross-town rival FIU Tuesday night at Mark Light Field.

“They play us like it’s the World Series every time.”

Michael Soto can be contacted at m.soto3@umiami.edu.

The University of Miami women’s tennis team set the tone for the season with straight-set wins against the Quakers. The ‘Canes were forced to make the University of Pennsylvania their opener after the match against Florida Atlantic was postponed due to undesirable weather conditions.

Senior Megan Bradley played up to her position at the No. 1 singles spot by taking on the Quakers’ Julia Koulbitskaya. Bradley finished the match in just two sets, winning 6-1, 6-2.

“Megan was one of the only people who didn’t look rusty on the court. She has had the most experience and it shows when she plays,” Head Coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said.

Bradley also lent a hand in the doubles portion of the match alongside sophomore Audrey Banada, resulting in an 8-2 score over Penn’s Koulbitskaya and Michelle Mitchell. The No. 3 doubles team of Staci Stevens and Patricia Starzyk secured the doubles point after their 8-5 victory.

Junior Melissa Applebaum won the No. 3 singles match-up 6-4, 6-3, improving her overall record to 8-4.

Banada followed suit with a straight-set win at the No. 5 position.

Juliette Mavroleon, a freshman who previously reached a World Junior Ranking of No. 293 before becoming part of the team, defeated Caroline Stanislawski 6-2, 6-4, to end the individual matches.

Stevens, a senior, was forced into a third set after being overtaken 1-6 in the No. 2 singles spot. Stevens eventually outlasted the freshman Quaker winning the match.

Starzyk closed out the overall match with a three-set win 6-3, 0-6, 6-4.

Starzyk is the newest member of the Miami team and sole international player. The Austrian-born player held the title of national champion from 1994 through 2000. Her freshman season began just this semester.

“Staci and Patricia fought hard to the very end and finished strong. It really showed that they had character and endurance,” Yaroshuk-Tews said.

This will be Yaroshuk-Tews’ fourth season as head coach. Her success is a reflection of the methods she uses to build each individual player. With no set expectations for the season in terms of wins and losses, Yaroshuk-Tews maintains that the most important thing the squad needs to work on is mentally preparing for matches and keeping a positive outlook at the toughest points of a match.

“It’s one thing to go into a match thinking you can win, but another to keep that same mindset when you’re down,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “If we work on that as well as their overall skill levels and consistency, we’ll have a winning season.”

Stacey Arnold can be contacted at s.arnold@umiami.edu.

As Head Coach Ferne Labati put it, life for Miami women’s basketball was “miserable”-until Thursday night.

Yalonda McCormick led all scorers with 23 points and Tamara James added 18 as the Hurricanes (9-10, 1-5) finally posted their first ACC victory by outlasting No. 19 Florida State (18-3, 5-2) 62-57 at the Convocation Center.

Florida State was led by guards Ganiyat Adeduntan, who had 17 points and nine rebounds, and Roneeka Hodges, who finished with 16 points and five rebounds. The Seminoles committed 19 turnovers while forcing only 13.

After losing its first five ACC contests, Miami was low on morale and desperate for a win over its rivals.

“Pat Riley says, ‘there’s winning and there’s misery,’ and everyone: players, coaches, you name it, we’ve just been absolutely miserable,” Labati said.

Labati actually had the team meet with a sports psychologist to improve its focus and concentration, but she said the players ultimately had to look within themselves for inspiration.

“They were very self-motivated,” she said. “It wasn’t about what we said, and I think our kids understand that if you’re self-motivated, as a team you’re going to rally and be able to play.”

The coach’s efforts appeared to be futile early in the first half when an 8-0 Seminole run sparked by an Adeduntan three-pointer opened up a 23-14 FSU lead. The Hurricanes fell behind by as much as 11, but a late 7-0 run brought them within three points at halftime.

The second half was tightly contested throughout, as McCormick hit a three-pointer to close within two points with 16:44 left. Miami took its second lead of the game after an Albrey Grimsley lay-up at the 14:10 mark.

Florida State fought back and regained a three-point lead, but James hit her only three-pointer of the game to tie the score. A James lay-up with 5:46 left gave the Hurricanes a 52-51 advantage.

Clinging to a one-point lead (58-57) with under a minute left, Miami relied on McCormick, the senior point guard, to put the game away with a lay-up and two made free throws. Florida State did not manage to score again, and McCormick tossed the basketball high in the air when the final buzzer sounded.

Labati did not hide her emotions after the game.

“Needless to say, we are extremely happy tonight,” she said. “These are the stats that were really important to us: to stop their penetration, the amount of turnovers we had, to be able to defend on the boards and just to go out there and take really great shots.”

McCormick said the team has a renewed hunger and drive to compete in the ACC after notching its first conference victory.

“I feel that we shouldn’t just be content,” McCormick said. “We have to, from here on out, play just like we played tonight. Don’t relax just because we won our first game.”

The Hurricanes return to action Monday night when they travel to Clemson for a 7 p.m. tip-off.

Eric Kalis can be contacted at e.kalis@umiami.edu.