Fourth-quarter meltdown sinks UM women’s basketball team against Virginia Tech 68-64

Stunned fans filed out of the Watsco Center on Sunday afternoon following Miami’s loss against ACC rival Virginia Tech .

The Hurricanes were coming off back-to-back losses in conference play and found themselves in desperate need of a victory against the Hokies.

However, fans who entered hopeful for a win were left disappointed. Despite a strong second-half performance from the Canes women’s basketball team, Virginia Tech (10-4, 1-2) ended the game on a dominant 18-3 run, leaving Coral Gables with a 68-64 victory.

Victory looked certain for the Canes, who had built an 11-point lead with seven minutes remaining in the game, but a career performance from sophomore Carys Baker ensured that they were never out of the fight.

Baker, who finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds, shot a blistering 58.3 percent from beyond the arc.

“She’s a good shooter,” remarked Hurricanes guard Jasmyne Roberts. “We should have adjusted through the game and not let her get her shot off.”

Despite the disappointing ending, the Hurricanes’ offense was efficient throughout the game. Miami led for over 80 percent of the contest, and their consistent lead was built by efficiency from the field, and by attacking the paint.

Miami doubled Virginia Tech’s number of points in the paint (28 to 14, respectively) while shooting 45% from the field and outrebounding the Hokies.

“We knew we wanted to be able to get down and get looks from the post,” forward Cameron Williams told reporters. “So that was our game plan going in.”

Head coach Tricia Cullop said, “I thought for the majority of this game we executed better offensively than we have all season.”

However, as productive as Miami was offensively, turnovers were once again the Hurricanes’ kryptonite.

Miami committed 19 of them compared to Virginia Tech’s 12, and while the Hokies notched 17 points against turnovers, Miami could only muster five.

“[Turnovers] have been a main focus ever since I took the job,” Coach Cullop said. “[The players] are maturing and getting better at it, but it’s not quite where it needs to be.”

The Hokies showcased their prowess from beyond the arc during the game. Virginia Tech shot 38% from three-point territory, more than doubling Miami’s made shot total from there.

When asked what she could learn from the loss, Cameron Williams responded, “I think being able to focus and stay disciplined to our principles down the stretch. We had the lead, and I just don’t think we were focused down the stretch.”

Jasmyne Roberts added, “I think we have to take more pride in our details … not giving shooters open looks, stuff like that.”

For the Hokies, the victory is their first in ACC play this season, and it gets them to 10 wins on the year.

They will travel to Atlanta for a matchup against No. 13 Georgia Tech.

The loss brings Miami’s record down to 11-4 in the 2024-25 season. The Hurricanes’ record in conference play now stands at 1-3, with their lone win coming against Pittsburgh three weeks ago.

Cullop summarized her thoughts on the performance by saying, “I think there are a lot of positive things ... let’s do a better job of staying locked in, let’s take care of the ball, and I think we see a much different ending.”