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Post by Bornthrilla on Mar 25, 2010 22:41:21 GMT -5
Miami Continues Postseason Run with 84-77 Win Over NC A&T Five Hurricanes Score in Double-Figures in Fast-Paced Contest March 25, 2010
CORAL GABLES - The University of Miami women's basketball team (20-13) used a huge first half and big defensive plays late, in its third round WNIT victory over the North Carolina A&T Aggies (23-11), Thursday night at the BankUnited Center by an 84-77 score.
With both team's offenses pouring in points, it was a pair of back-to-back defensive plays from freshman Morgan Stroman that sealed the victory for the Hurricanes.
A four-time South Carolina State Champion in high school, Stroman stole an entry pass into the post and went coast-to-coast for the layup. She was fouled on the play and sank the free throw, pushing the Miami lead to 77-69 with 2:37 remaining.
The very next Aggie possession resulted in a Crystal Murdaugh jumper that was swatted away by Stroman. After collecting the rebound, she fired a full court pass to a streaking Charmaine Clark, who finished the easy layup.
The `Canes were able to milk the clock from that point on and sank 5-of-6 free throws in the final minutes, for the final score.
Riquna Williams led all scorers with 21 points, shooting 6-of10 from the field and 5-of-7 from three-point range.
Fellow sophomore, Shenise Johnson scored 20 points of her own, grabbing eight rebounds along the way. The first team All-ACC selection also added six assists and three steals.
Johnson fell just two points shy of reaching the 1,000 point plateau in just her second season.
Miami's seniors have had huge games in each postseason contest and Thursday night was no different. Charmaine Clark scored 14 points, dished out a game-high seven assists and grabbed six rebounds. The Hinesville, Ga. native has scored in double-figures in each WNIT game. Click here to find out more!
Diane Barnes scored 10 points and was just two rebounds shy of collecting her eighth double-double of the season with eight rebounds.
Stroman had a game-high four steals and in addition to her defense, scored 12 points.
North Carolina A&T had three players of its own score in double-figures, led by Jaleesa Sams' 20 points. Ta'Wuana Cook scored 16, while Amber Calvin added 13.
The Hurricanes offense exploded out of the gates, scoring 49 first half points. Williams, coming off the bench for the eighth-straight game, led the opening surge with 14 points at the break. The ACC's second leading scorer, hit her first four shots of the game - all of them coming from beyond the three-point arc.
Overall, the `Canes were on fire from the field in the opening half, hitting 63.3 percent of their shots, including an exceptional 8-of-11 from beyond the arc.
Miami has reached 20 wins for the first time in six seasons, not since the 2003-04 squad advanced to the NCAA Tournament, ending with a 22-7 record. It is the second time that head coach Katie Meier has reached the 20-win mark, as she accomplished the feat when she was a fourth-year coach at Charlotte
With the win, Miami advances to the WNIT quarterfinals for the first time in program history and heads on the road to face the Providence Friars of the BIG EAST Conference. The quarterfinal matchup is set for 2 p.m., Sunday, March 28.
Earlier in the evening, Providence (19-14) played at Maryland, defeating UM's conference foe, 77-64.
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Post by AggieGroove on Mar 25, 2010 22:50:40 GMT -5
I am so very proud of you Ladies!
And just think, next year's team may be even better! WOW!
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Post by AggiePride on Mar 25, 2010 22:55:31 GMT -5
Thanks Lady Aggies and Coach Bibbs for representing the school in a classy manner. You have demonstrated that we can compete on all levels and put the rest of the department on notice.
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Post by krazykev on Mar 26, 2010 7:05:11 GMT -5
Congrats to the Lady Aggies and Coach Bibbs/Coaching Staff for a historic season!!!!!!!!!!! I am so proud of this team and the wonderful young ladies that wear the blue and gold with pride.
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Post by Bornthrilla on Mar 26, 2010 7:52:27 GMT -5
Miami Hurricanes reach WNIT quarterfinals Miami ran past North Carolina A&T to reach the WNIT quarterfinals, where it will play at Providence on Sunday.
BY BILL VAN SMITH Miami Herald WriterThe North Carolina A&T basketball team came into its game against the University of Miami in the Women's National Invitation Tournament with the reputation as a fast-paced, never-slow-down team. UM had an answer for that. The Hurricanes laced up their sneakers and decided to run with the Aggies. In fact, they ran right past them 84-77 in front of 982 fans at BankUnited Center on Thursday night. While UM was celebrating and smiling at the end, A&T was left breathless and gasping -- and with its season over. Next up for Miami (20-13) is a quarterfinal game at 2 p.m. Sunday against Providence (19-14), which defeated Maryland 77-64 on Thursday night. ``An unbelievable basketball game,'' UM coach Katie Meier said of defeating A&T. The victory marked the first time Miami has won three postseason games. Meier had no doubts about what she was going to do against A&T. ``We were going to run,'' she said. One thing UM did not change about its style was the way it uses Riquna Williams. The Canes isolated her on the outside, and she let it fly from beyond the arc. Williams finished with 21 points, making 5 of 7 three-point tries, including her first four. ``An unbelievable performance,'' Meier said of Williams, ``and we absolutely needed it. It was one of those deals where our defense wasn't locking up, and we needed to outscore them.'' Stefanie Yderstrom didn't score a ton of points, finishing with three, but she did what she's best at -- ball-hawking. She always was around any loose ball, making sure the possession was UM's and not A&T's. Throw in tenacious defense and pin-point passing, and she definitely was Miami's most undervalued player. It was not an easy victory. The Canes took their biggest lead right after halftime, when Yderstrom's three-pointer gave UM a 52-37 advantage. However, a combination of playing at a slower pace and missed shots got Miami in trouble midway through the second half. That 15-point advantage was whittled to 58-53, causing Meier to call a timeout to get her troops back on track. The torrid first half took a toll. ``Both teams got tired,'' Meier said. Meier said she insisted that her team ``keep taking it to the rim.'' ``When we need special plays, our special players make them for us,'' Meier said. Miami finished 29 of 61 from the field, but finished 10 of 18 from three-point range. The Aggies were only 3 of 17 from beyond the arc. What does Meier know about Providence? Not much, she admitted. ``I've got a lot of work to do between now and [Friday's] practice,'' she said. Read more: www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/26/1548213/canes-reach-quarterfinals.html?asset_id=1548412&asset_type=gallery#ixzz0jHphG910
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Post by Bornthrilla on Mar 26, 2010 7:57:18 GMT -5
www.news-record.com/content/2010/03/26/article/at_s_dream_run_stopped_by_miamiA&T’s dream run stopped by Miami Friday, March 26, 2010 (Updated 8:43 am) Staff ReportsCORAL GABLES, Fla. — Miami ended N.C. A&T historic run through the Women’s NIT on Thursday night at the BankUnited Center, but not before the Aggies put up a good fight. The Hurricanes led by 12 at intermission and extended it to 15 early in the second half. But A&T inched closer on several occasions and eventually got within four with 31 seconds left. But Miami clinched it at the free throw line, hitting 5 of 6 shots. Three Aggies scored in double-figures, led by Jaleesa Sams’ 20 points. Ta’Wuana Cook scored 16 and Amber Calvin added 13. Miami sophomore Riquna Williams led all scorers with 21 points, shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 5-of-7 from 3-point range. A&T’s season ended at 23-11, including WNIT road wins over Wake Forest and Charlotte. No HBCU has ever won two straight postseason games in Division I basketball. Miami (20-13) advances to the quarterfinals for the first time in program history and will travel to Providence for a quarterfinal matchup Sunday. “My ladies fought hard, but Miami played us very physical tonight and they did a good job of getting out in transition,” A&T coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs said. “Their hot shooting to start the game put us in a position where we were constantly having to fight uphill. When you’ve played on the road like we have, you don’t want to be a position where you’re playing catch up.” Shenise Johnson added 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Miami. Charmaine Clark added 14 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
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Post by treese on Mar 26, 2010 8:29:53 GMT -5
Congrats to the Lady Aggies and Coach Bibbs/Coaching Staff for a GREAT season
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Post by morrisonmafia73 on Mar 26, 2010 11:37:02 GMT -5
Congratulations Lady Aggies and Coach Bibbs for a wonderful season.
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Post by Brandmasta on Mar 26, 2010 18:21:11 GMT -5
Brother, you got the keys to your own jet. LOL I expected you to make this one. Unfortunately they dont just let me borrow the plane for the day to go wherever I want. Unless I just hijacked one...I which case I wouldnt have had to worry about making it to work on time friday morning, or any other morning for that matter!
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Post by Bornthrilla on Mar 27, 2010 8:08:56 GMT -5
RUNNING CANES DEFEAT AGGIES
MIAMI – The thrill ride the North Carolina A&T women’s basketball team took its fans on is over.
Miami decided to test an Aggies team that has traveled to every WNIT game it has played over the last week. The Hurricanes pushed the tempo against Thursday night, and it resulted in an 84-77 win in a third round game of the WNIT played at BankUnited Center.
The Aggies season comes to an end at 23-11. Jaleesa Sams led the way with 20 points and nine rebounds. Ta’Wuana “Tweet” Cook finished with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists.
“My ladies fought hard, but Miami played us very physical tonight and they did a good job of getting out in transition,’’ said Aggies head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs. “Their hot shooting to start the game put us in a position where we were constantly having to fight uphill. When you’ve played on the road like we have, you don’t want to be in a position where you’re playing catch up.”
Riquna Williams broke open a 15-13 game in the first half by hitting four consecutive 3-pointers that helped the Hurricanes take a 49-37 lead at the half. Miami shot 63.6 percent in the first half thanks to 8-for-11 shooting from 3-point range.
The Hurricanes lost and gained a double-figure lead five times in the second half. Every time the Aggies appeared to have a run going, the Hurricanes would use an Aggie miss to get out in transition to push the lead back to double figures.
“We knew we needed to guard against their running game,’’ said Bibbs. “I thought we did a much better job of playing defense in the second half. I just think those threes were hard to overcome.”
The Aggies trailed by as many as 15 in the second half. The Aggies cut the lead to six on an Amber Calvin layup with 5:11 to play. Two Tyronnica Alford free throws got the Hurricanes lead down to five. But a steal and layup by Morgan Stroman also resulted in a foul on Ta’Wuana “Tweet” Cook. Stroman completed the 3-point play to put Miami ahead 77-69 with 2:37 to play.
Calvin, who had an unusual bad night from 3-point range, hit her first three of the game to slice the lead back down to five. The Aggies had a chance to get even closer as Shenise Johnson missed a jumper. But Aggies forward Crystal Murdaugh had her shot blocked by Stroman.
It led to an easy layup by Charmaine Clark that gave Miami a 79-72 lead with 1:21 to play. Williams led the Hurricanes with 21 points on 5-for-7 shooting from 3-point range. Johnson added 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Clark added 14 points, six rebounds and seven assists. The Hurricanes will play Providence on Sunday.
As for Bibbs and the Aggies, they will look forward to what new feats they can accomplish next season. Bibbs has made a habit of setting new milestones since arriving at N.C. A&T. The Aggies’ 34 games was a school record for games played. Twenty-four of those games were played on the road. The Aggies also became the first NCAA Division I HBCU to win two consecutive games in a national postseason tournament.
But the Aggies will lose their most accomplished class in school history. Four-year seniors Lamona Smalley, Shantar Waddell and Cook won more games than any other Aggies’ senior class. North Carolina and Duke are the only in-state Division I schools with more wins than the Aggies – 91 – over the last four years. Alford, a Division I transfer three years ago, also played her last game.
In Cook, the Aggies lose their second all-time leading scorer and their all-time leader in assists. Smalley says goodbye as the Aggies second all-time leading rebounder. Cook and Smalley also finish in the top 5 all-time in several other statistical categories.
The three-time defending MEAC regular-season champion Aggies are expected to have seven letterwinners back, including MEAC All-Rookie performers Calvin and JaQuayla Berry. Sams will be the Aggies leading returning scorer, and sophomore forward Crystal Murdaugh came into her own during the WNIT. Freshman center Nikia Gorham also showed tons of potential during the 2009-10.
Bibbs also has an excellent recruiting class coming with the signing of four new Aggies. Add Division I transfer Alex Mitchell to the rotation and it is apparent the Aggies are not ready to let go of the hold they have on the MEAC.
“We had a good year, but a tough year,’’ said Bibbs. “What we did in the WNIT was very rewarding because we had to go through some trials to get here. I thought we showed a lot of guts. But after 34 games, and after all the road games we’ve played, it catches up to you.”
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Post by currentevent on Mar 27, 2010 13:39:59 GMT -5
I know it's probably to early to ask, but anyone know if Tweet has any post college basketball opportunities?
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Post by Bornthrilla on Mar 28, 2010 16:39:04 GMT -5
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