Cavinder twins, Cam Williams keep UM women undefeated with 79-63 win over Charlotte

Friday started out rough for the University of Miami women’s basketball team, which missed its first 18 shots from beyond the arc and trailed the Charlotte 49ers late in the third quarter of the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament opening game.

But the Cavinder twins, Michigan transfer Cameron Williams and freshman Leah Harmon led a late-game surge for the Hurricanes and kept Miami undefeated through six games with a 79-63 win at the Watsco Center.

Williams scored a game-high 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting and tied Haley Cavinder with a team-high 10 rebounds. Cavinder scored 19 points, despite going 0-for-7 on three-point attempts. Her twin sister, Hanna, had added nine points and nine assists with just one turnover and had two steals.

“I can’t speak enough about how well these two played,” coach Tricia Cullop said of Haley Cavinder and Williams. “You look at the stats, 20 rebounds between the two of them and then the points. These two were amazing playing together. When things got tight, they kept their composure and kept everybody focused.”

Cullop was particularly impressed with Haley Cavinder’s rebounding, considering she is only 5-foot-6.

“Haley is one of the best rebounding guards I have ever coached, just flat out heart,” Cullop said. “I am so impressed with what she brings our team.”

Cavinder takes pride in rebounding.

“Any extra possessions I can get for my team, if I can get a rebound, I’m going to do that,” she said. “At the guard position the opponents don’t really box out, so it’s kind of an advantage to go get the ball.”

The coach also praised Hanna Cavinder’s assist-to-turnover ratio and her decision making.

“She played a phenomenal game with only one turnover against pressure,” Cullop said. “We have so much confidence in her. She’s got a great head on her shoulders. She sees the floor exceptionally well. She’s got high IQ and her skill level is very high, as well. She does a nice job making sure that we run our breaks efficiently, take care of the basketball, and she continues to find people at the right time when they’re open.”

Harmon, a 5-6 guard and five-star recruit, showed the skills that helped her lead Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) to consecutive state championships and the No. 1 national ranking before ending her high school career at IMG Academy in Bradenton.

She scored 11 points in 18 minutes off the bench, including a long jumper to stretch Miami’s lead to six points at the end of the third quarter.

“Leah did a great job being a difference maker,” Cullop said. “I tell the kids, `It’s not about how many you score, but what is the difference in the score when you’re in the game.’’’

When Harmon was in the game, Miami was a plus-four in the first half and plus-13 in the second half.

The Hurricanes went 0-for-11 from three-point in the first half, had 11 first-half turnovers and trailed 36-35 at intermission. Their 90 percent free throw shooting kept them in the game. They made 19 of 21 free throws.

Cullop treats the team to ice cream whenever they make more than 80 percent of their free throws.

“I’ll pay all year long (for ice cream) if it comes to that because that’s what wins close games,” she said.

Despite being behind for most of the first three quarters, the Canes never panicked.

“We have a lot of experienced people on the court, so we try not to get too high or too low,” Haley Cavinder said. “Don’t panic. Take care of the ball and have a clear head. That composure allows us to focus.”

Williams added: “We’re all starting to build that camaraderie. The more games we play, the more we learn and it’s only going to go up.”

The 49ers hit 50 percent of their shots from distance in the first half and went on a 10-0 run in the second quarter to pull ahead. Senior guard Madison Rochelle led Charlotte with 14 points and seven rebounds. Hayleigh Breland had 12 points. Alexis Andrews and Keanna Rembert chipped in 10 apiece.

UM will play Quinnipiac (6-0) on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. in the tournament final. Quinnipiac beat Southeastern Louisiana 70-53 on Friday night. First-year guard Gal Raviv led the Bobcats with 24 points on 56 percent shooting (9-for-16). Quinnipiac has given Miami trouble in the past, beating the Canes in the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and 2018. In 2017, the 12th-seeded Bobcats knocked off No. 4 seed UM in Coral Gables to reach the Sweet 16.

“Quinnipiac has come here and had success in the past, and they’re probably excited to be in this tournament,” Cullop said. “I’ve joked that we should never let them come back. I’ve watched them a lot and they are well-coached. They share the ball, play an open style of offense. [Tricia Fabbri’s] a tremendous coach.”