Miami Hurricanes women's hoops takes first game at ACC Tournament, 84-69, behind Dwyer's 19 points
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Ahead of its opener in the 2023 Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament, Miami head coach Katie Meier made a point to remind her team of its resiliency.
More than once this season, the Hurricanes have handled the task of winning close games.
That trend continued in Greensboro – and now, so will Miami’s run in the tournament.
Behind an efficient fourth-quarter effort from sophomore Lashae Dwyer, the Hurricanes notched an 84-69 win over Boston College on Thursday night at the Greensboro Coliseum.
With the victory, sixth-seeded Miami – which outscored BC 24-13 in the fourth – advances to a Friday night quarterfinal where it will face third-seeded Virginia Tech.
“That was just a great basketball game, but I’m really proud of my team, really proud, because we picked a very good time to play very well,” Miami coach Katie Meier said.
Dwyer’s fourth-quarter performance was a big reason why.
The guard scored 10 of her team-high 19 points in the fourth to lead four Hurricanes in double figures. Lola Pendande added 15 points and eight rebounds, while Haley Cavinder had 14 points and nine rebounds. Destiny Harden added 13 points and nine rebounds.
“This game means a lot to me because I was just ready when my number was called,” Dwyer said. “My teammates put their trust in me to just keep feeding the hot hand. I’m thankful for them for keeping pushing me in practice and in the games, too.”
Meier added, “Shae hasn’t always had the wind at her back. She hasn’t always had the wind at her back. It hasn’t been easy for Shae this year. She’s been inconsistent, had inconsistent playing time, I’ve been inconsistent in my choices on whether to play her or not, and that’s tough. That’s what I’m talking about tough.
“She hasn’t been given a starting role and been able to do whatever Shae wanted to do. Shae has had limited minutes in a lot of really important games and it has hurt her, but I think that’s where her growth and her toughness comes from.”
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While Miami (19-11, 11-7) was able to pull away late in the fourth, much of the first half was a back-and-forth between the Hurricane and Eagles, who traded baskets on multiple possessions and saw the lead change hands six times.
Things got better for the Hurricanes in the second half.
Miami opened the third on a 8-2 run to take a 47-40 lead and from there out, tried to do its best to stave the Eagles (16-17, 5-13).
In the early minutes of the fourth, Boston College pulled within five when T’yana Todd scored on a fast-break with 7:02 left, but the Hurricanes scored six straight on the strength of baskets from Dwyer, Harden and Pendande to build a double-digit lead that proved too much for the Eagles to overcome.
The Hurricanes will now face a Virginia Tech team that has won eight straight and is ranked No. 8 in the AP Top 25.
Earlier this season, though, Miami defeated the Hokies 77-66.
“I think Virginia Tech is one of the most talented teams in the country,” Meier said. “I have mad respect for them, and I know they’re very difficult to defend. I think it’s kind of good that we put some points up there tonight and got some confident kids because you can’t keep that team in the 40s or the 50s. They’re too talented. We’re going to try, though.”
