Making it two in a row, hurricanes battle back to overturn Tech

As they continue to forge their identity as a third-quarter squad, the Miami Hurricanes defeated the Georgia Tech (GT) Yellow Jackets 62-60 on Sunday.

After spending one game at home, Miami returned to the road with an overtime victory over Clemson, where UM tied the school record for its greatest halftime comeback at 18 points.

The ‘Canes had a barren first half as they tried to get their bearings. Kyla Oldacre, a sophomore, made all three of her field goals, a highlight during a quarter in which UM shot less than 31% overall.

However, Miami (16-7, 6-6 ACC)’s defense made up for the poor shooting performance, limiting the Yellow Jackets to 33% shooting from the field, including GT’s top scorer Kara Dunn.

The ‘Canes were still facing an uphill struggle, though.

Georgia Tech (14-11, 5-7 ACC) jumped out to an 8-0 scoring spree early in the second quarter, extending their advantage to nine points. Miami gained some ground and made it into the breakdown seven.

Miami gained momentum with an explosive third quarter.

Jaida Patrick, a transfer, scored two hard buckets to start the third. She successfully controlled an offensive rebound in one of them before laying the ball in. After gaining possession, Patrick drove, twirled, and cleared a fall-away jumper that was positioned over Dunn’s outstretched arm.

Head coach Katie Meier stated, “In the third quarter, we just got up and it started with Jaida, just like the start of the second half against Clemson when we were down.”

The ‘Canes closed the gap to two points with a string of finishes, including a jump shot from junior Shayeann Day-Wilson and free throws from forward Jasmyne Roberts.

Day-Wilson knocked on the second of her two threes in the third quarter to give the Canes their first lead, 38–37. She led the ‘Canes with 10 points in the quarter and 17 points overall.

UM had a 49-44 lead going into the final period following a single five-point spurt by junior Ja’Leah Williams.

Miami has outscored its opponent by eight points or more in the third quarter in the last four games. UM defeated its opponent 27–15 this time.

The ‘Canes increased their lead to seven points in the fourth quarter. Day-Wilson made key free throws to help Miami hang on, but with three minutes remaining, guard Tonie Morgan’s basket cut the advantage to as little as two.

Morgan scored 24 points to lead all scorers.

The ‘Canes, who have triumphed in four of their last five contests, will play No. 23 Syracuse at Coral Gables on Thursday. 6 p.m. is tip-off time.