Miami Storms Past Boston College Behind Career Night by Harden

Miami women’s basketball has experienced its share of adversity throughout the 2022-23 season. Injuries to forwards Destiny Harden and Latasha Lattimore altered the team’s rotations, and a slow start to the season cast doubt on UM’s lofty preseason expectations.

Thursday’s matchup against Boston College (BC) was no different. The Hurricanes (13-7, 6-3 ACC) trailed by as many as 12 points, but just as they had previously, they showcased their resilience and defeated the Eagles, 86-65.

“We wanted the scrum,” Miami head coach Katie Meier said. “All week, we were talking about [how] it was gonna be a backyard brawl, and it was. It was a very physical game, but it was nice to see that toughness from our team.”

BC’s early lead featured an uncharacteristic showing by the team from behind the arc.

The Eagles (13-10, 3-7 ACC) entered this game shooting only 27.2% from deep for the season, ranking last in the ACC. This was not the case against Miami, as BC made three of its first four 3-point attempts and shot out to an emphatic 14-2 lead within the game’s first five minutes.

BC again took a 12-point lead in the second quarter before veteran forward Destiny Harden spearheaded a 12-2 scoring run that breathed new life into the Hurricanes.

Harden’s 13-point first half cut BC’s lead to just four, 41-37, at the break. The sixth-year standout finished with a game and season-high 23 points and a career-high 11 makes and 16 attempts from the charity stripe. She also snatched a career-high seven steals.

“She just kind of did her thing,” Meier said regarding Harden’s performance. “The seven steals, from a four-player, that was incredible, so [Harden] was everywhere.”

Miami carried over the momentum it created at the end of the second quarter and continued it in the closing half.

The Hurricanes took their first lead of the night on a steal-and-score by guard Haley Cavinder with 5:45 remaining in the third.

Cavinder was the commander of Miami’s 31-point outburst during the third, scoring all 10 of her points during the quarter. The Fresno State transfer also knocked down Miami’s first two 3-pointers of the night.

“Haley’s such a competitor. I can’t tell you how fun it is,” Meier said. “She got out-run on one play and I lit her up and screamed at her … and then she just raised her level of the game.”

Miami extended its lead to double digits with 0:11 left in the third on a pull-up jumper by guard Karla Erjavec, whose 13 points set a season-high for the graduate student.

UM’s tenacious fourth-quarter defense held BC scoreless over the last 7:09 of the game on the way to its 21-point victory.

The ‘Canes will begin a two-game road trip on Sunday as they take on Wake Forest at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m., and the game will air on ACC Network Extra.