CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Miami women’s basketball turned a sluggish opening quarter into a runaway Sunday, beating Stetson 77-45 at the Watsco Center. The Hurricanes move to 9-4, while the Hatters drop to 7-4.
Miami leaned on balance and pressure. Five Hurricanes reached double figures, led by Ra Shaya Kyle, Natalie Wetzel and Gal Raviv with 14 points apiece in the spread out effort on offense. Kyle powered the interior with 12 rebounds to go with her scoring, and Raviv sprinkled in numbers across the stat sheet with four assists and five steals. Ahnay Adams and Amarachi Kimpson added 13 points each, and Miami shared the ball for 19 assists on 33 field goals as a team.
Stetson hung around early. The teams traded stops and empty trips, and the first quarter ended tied 13-13. Miami found cleaner looks in the second, then tightened the screws defensively. The Hurricanes won the period 21-10, took a 34-23 lead into halftime, and never let Stetson climb back within single digits.
The third quarter decided the game. Miami’s ball pressure forced rushed decisions and loose passes, and the Hurricanes turned those mistakes into points. Miami outscored Stetson 21-8 in the third to push the margin to 24, then closed with a steady fourth to finish off the 32-point win.
Miami’s defense set the tone. The Hurricanes forced 20 turnovers, got 13 steals and blocked nine shots, erasing several Stetson drives at the rim and chasing the Hatters off their preferred offense. The Hurricanes also controlled the glass 41-35, with Kyle anchoring the rebounding effort.
Cameron Thomas carried Stetson’s offense with 17 points, knocking down five 3-pointers. Outside of Thomas, Miami smothered the Hatters into a rough shooting day: 17-of-58 overall and 9-of-34 from deep. Stetson managed only four free-throw attempts and struggled to generate easy looks against Miami’s rotating help and active hands.
Miami’s next game starts the ACC schedule with a New Year’s Day matchup at Virginia Tech.
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