CORAL GABLES, Fla. (Nov. 25) – The Lady Tigers (1-3, 0-0 SWAC) were unable to keep pace with the red-hot Miami Hurricanes (3-1, 0-0 ACC), falling 89-61 in the UM Thanksgiving Classic today at the Watsco Center on the campus of the University of Miami.
Shakyla Hill, led all scorers, with 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field. Jazmin Boyd added 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting from the field, including 2-of-7 from the three point arc. Jazmine Torian and Bre'Nae Andrews chipped in 10 points each to round out the quartet of Tigers scoring in double figures. GSU had four players finish in double figures, while Um had just two.
Interim head coach Freddie Murray knew facing the Canes' would be a challenge for his team, but was pleased with the effort. "Last year we were able to play against three Top-25 teams and we competed against them, so the moment is not too big for us. Coming into this season, we knew we had a pretty tough schedule. We knew that Miami and TCU were on the schedule this past week. We're never afraid of the moment, we're just not making timely shots. You look at our last few games and the ball is just not going in. Our goal is to correct this moving forward as we advance in the season," Murray said.
The Tigers shot just 38.7 percent from the field for the game, compared to an even 50 percent from the field for the Hurricanes. Additionally GSU shot just 57 percent from he charity stripe, while Um shot 71 percent.
Jessica Thomas led the Hurricanes with 14 points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field, including 4-of-7 from three-point range. Adrienne Motley was the only other Cane in double figures, going 5-of-13 from the field to pour in 12 points. Motley was 2-of-7 on three pointers. The scoring was spread out for Miami as 11 different players scored at least three points.
Hill said the Tigers went into the game with confidence. "Coach Murray always tells us that we are the best team and we don't have to go into any game scared of anyone. We kept that mentality this entire game. Regardless of how many we were down, we knew we had to keep playing throughout the whole game," Hill said.
Miami held the rebounding edge 43-36. This margin is minimal when accounting for the lack of size missing from the GSU lineup. It is a testament to the scrappy bunch of ladies on the floor at this time.
"We're down three post players at this time and it's tough, meaning we are playing players at positions they normally don't play. It's a huge adjustment. But, we've got players with the heart of a tiger and they will battle until the end. We don't make excuses for what we don't have, we just grind it out each and every game. All of the hard work and all of the mistakes will eventually pay off down the stretch," said Murray.
It also took efforts from players who had to contribute in different manners. That effort is a bright spot for Murray. "Bre'Nae Andrews came off the bench and gave us valuable minutes. She's a veteran player who helps defensively by stretching the court. Shakyla Hill and Monica Neal are the heart of our team. It's good to have veteran players returning as starters this year. The chemistry is not there yet, but we're making adjustments and we're expecting things to turn around," Murray concluded.
What's next: The Tigers will have a day off tomorrow, but return to action at 2 p.m. on Sunday to face Fordham in the consolation game of the tournament.
