Canes Fall to Orange 77-68, Harden on Hot Scoring Streak Since Return from Injury

The University of Miami women’s basketball team fell to the Syracuse Orange,77-68, Sunday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York.

“We fought back and definitely had opportunities, but we missed some big shots and didn’t make the best decisions in big moments,” head coach Katie Meier said. “We didn’t have one quarter where we held them under 18 and that is not Miami. We weren’t as sharp as we needed to be to win on the road in the ACC.”

Graduate student and forward Destiny Harden led the Hurricanes once again in scoring, by way of recording 19 points, while shooting 8 for 15 from the floor. Senior forward Lola Pendande and Senior guard / LifeWallet athlete Haley Cavinder would join Harden in double-digit scoring figures, with 15 and 11 points, each to their credit.

The Syracuse offense would start off scorching hot, converting on 4-of-8 from beyond 3-point range to take an early 19-11 lead at the end of the first period.

Sophomore guard Lashae Dwyer would be the driver for Miami in the second quarter, scoring five straight points to ignite an 11-2 scoring run for the Canes. She had scored seven of Miami’s 17 total second-quarter points. Miami would go on to score six of the final eight points in the first half to trail by nine heading into the locker rooms, 37-28.

Miami would shoot 58 percent from the hardwood floor as a unit in the third quarter to keep the deficit within a three score game with 10 minutes left to play. Destiny Harden was the driving force for the Hurricanes in the third quarter as she tallied up 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the third.

Syracuse would open the fourth quarter shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, extending their lead as large as 11, with 4:42 remaining in regulation. The Canes and Orange would trade buckets for the rest of the game, but Syracuse would use a 55 percent shooting effort in the final period to lock away a win for the Orange at home and topple the Hurricanes. 

Miami will stay on the road and head out to take on the Louisville Cardinals in the Hurricanes road game finale of the regular season on February 23rd. Tip-off is set at the KFC Yum! Center for 6:00 P.M. EST and the game will be broadcasted live on ACC Network.