College Basketball

Miami Hurricanes Women Hoops Falls to Florida State

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:44 p.m. ET

Fansided, Alan Rubenstein/FanSided via Canes Warning

Miami Hurricanes Women’s Basketball Head Coach Katie Meier questioned her team’s effort after the game and the Hurricanes were unable to overcome several double digit deficits in a 81-66 loss in their ACC opener to Florida State.

Miami fell behind by 12 in the first quarter and 14 in the second before staging comebacks. Their second quarter comeback cut the deficit to one on a Adrienne Motley three-point field goal at the first half buzzer.

The shot was one of four first half three-point field goals for Motley. She was unable to maintain her hot hand from beyond the arc after halftime. Motley finished the game with 18 points on six of 11 from the floor and four of seven from three-point range.

Jessica Thomas led the Hurricanes with 20 points, her career best in an ACC Game. Emese Hof came off the bench to score 12 points and pull down six rebounds. Motley, Thomas and Hof combined to score 50 of Miami’s 66 points.

Meier was not pleased with her team’s performance after the game. “We don’t need a strategic analysis for why we lost. It’s effort, 100 percent…On 50/50 balls, they got every one of them. They had two players (Shakayla Thomas and Chartrice White) on their team get as many offensive rebounds as my entire team did.”

Florida State crushed Miami on the boards. The Seminoles had nearly as many offensive rebounds (20) as the Hurricanes had total rebounds (25). For the game FSU out rebounded Miami 43-25, 20 to six on the offensive glass.

The Seminoles used outstanding balance as five players finished in double figures. Inani Wright and Leticia Romero led Florida State with 19. Those two combined to make seven of their 13 three-point attempts. Romero also had six assists and four steals.

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Miami lost this game in many ways. Free throw shooting also played a factor. After making their only free throw attempt in the first half, FSU shot 15-20 in the second half to help put the game away. The Hurricanes made only 11-19 from the stripe, including just one out of four in the first half.

Miami also had 18 turnovers. Six of those were by Thomas.

A 16-3 run closed the first half to bring Miami within one. FSU finally put the game away in the third quarter. The Seminoles outscored UM 28-14 in the third. They led by as many as 17 in the third quarter and took a 15 point lead into the fourth.

Meier continued to discuss her team’s effort. “I think the more accountable team won. I thought the Florida State players, when they missed the shot, they owned it and went and got it back for their team,” Meier said. “. . . My seniors are going to follow my lead and we are all going to take a little bit more ownership in effort plays.”

Mark Richt, Jim Larranaga and Athletic Director Blake James were among those spotted at the game. This was the first time Miami lost an ACC opener in five years. next up for the Hurricanes is a trip to Pittsburgh to face the Panthers on Monday night.

Miami Hurricanes Women Hoops Falls to Florida State

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