The Lady Canes Top The Villanova Wildcats 70-65, Advance To First Ever Elite Eight

Mar 24, 2023 - 9:39 PM

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Whoa! That was intense. Coach Katie Meier has to be proud of her team for the way they responded late in the game.

The Miami Hurricanes Women’s Basketball squad beat the Villanova Wildcats today in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2023 NCAA Women’s Tournament. With the win, the Lady Canes advance to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history. Jasmyne Roberts led Miami with 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 steals. She was also 6-6 from the free-throw line. Destiny Harden chipped in 15 points and 9 rebounds. Maddy Siegrist, the country’s leading scorer, led Villanova with 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 steals.

The Lady Canes led by as many as 21 points early in the third quarter. I thought the game was over. Not so much. Villanova mounted a furious comeback by pressing full court and hounding Miami’s ball handlers. And after two made free-throws by Siegrist, the Wildcats had come all the way back to take a one-point lead. To the honest, I thought the game was over again, only this time Miami was on the losing end. Nope. Coach Meier and her team kept their composure. Roberts scored seven points in the final 2:20, including five made free-throws. Clutch.

Miami is playing with a ton of confidence right now. And rightly so, as they took down #1 seed Indiana on their home floor, then knocked off the country’s leading scorer and a dangerous Villanova team. I love their chances on Sunday. The Final Four is one game away!

Next up: The Lady Canes will face the winner of #3 seed LSU vs #2 seed Utah on Sunday. The game will be televised on ESPN. Tip-off time TBD.

GO CANES!