Canes to Face Terps in First ACC Road Game

Courtesy: Hurricanesports.com

Release: 01/09/2013

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THE GAME
The No. 24/25 Miami Hurricanes embark on one of their tougher challenges of the young season when they travel to College Park, Md., for a matchup with No. 10 Maryland Thursday night. Tipoff for the Atlantic Coast Conference showdown is set for 7 p.m. from the Comcast Center.

The Hurricanes, entering the contest atop the standings with a perfect 3-0 mark, are riding a five-game winning streak. Last time out, Miami ended its homestand on a high note by toppling Virginia 58-52 at the BankUnited Center.

Miami's perfect conference record will be put to test by the Terrapins (11-3, 2-1 ACC), considered among the nation's premier teams. Maryland, boasting a flawless 7-0 record at home, is paced by the conference's leading scorer Tianna Hawkins (19.0 points per game, 10.0 rebounds per game) and reigning ACC Player of the Year Alyssa Thomas (15.2 points, 10.2 rebounds).

1,000 POINT CLUB

Miami senior Morgan Stroman became the 22nd Hurricane to score 1,000 points in her career, as she scored seven points against FAU.

Senior Stefanie Yderstrom reached the milestone with an 18 point performance against Clemson on Jan. 3, becoming the 23rd player in program history to join the club.

CANES TOUGH TO BEAT IN ACC PLAY
In Miami's last five games, Miami senior guard Stefanie Yderstrom is averaging 18.4 points per game and has hit 19 of her 29 three-pointers in those five games.

Since the beginning of the 2011-12 season, Yderstrom has made 97 three pointers, more than any other player in the ACC.

CANES TOUGH TO BEAT IN ACC PLAY
Since the 2010-11 season, Miami is 28-4 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, second only to Duke (29-3). In that span, the Canes are flawless inside the BankUnited Center, winning 17 straight ACC games.

The Hurricanes have not been defeated at home inside conference play since a four-point loss to Georgia Tech on Feb. 21, 2010, a span of 1,061 days.

IMPRESSIVE START TO CONFERENCE PLAY
For the ﬁrst time, Miami's ACC schedule will consist of 18 games. Due to the additional games, Miami was forced to play a conference game in December for the ﬁrst time since 2003 when still a member of the Big East. The Canes seemed to welcome the early challenge as they walloped NC State 79-53. It was the ﬁfth straight win over the Wolfpack for the Canes.

With additional wins over Clemson and Virginia, Miami has opened ACC play with a 3-0 record for just the second time since joining the league in 2004.

BIG-TIME TEAM ON THE SMALL SCREEN
The Jan. 13 game at FSU will be the second of nine regular season games to be televised this season.

PEPPER TOO HOT FOR NC STATE TO HANDLE
Miami's 6-6 center Shawnice "Pepper" Wilson has faced NC State three times since transferring to UM after her sophomore season. In those three contests, she has averaged 11.3 points and 14 rebounds and even had a career-best night as a junior, scoring 17 points and grabbing 17 rebounds in leading her team to victory.

GREAT GAME, GREAT SEASON
Morgan Stroman may have had her best game of her career on Dec. 8 against Davidson. The senior recorded the 19th double-double of her career with 17 points and 13 rebounds. However, she filled the stat sheet, leading the Canes with a career-high six assists, four blocks and four steals.

On the season, Stroman is tied for the team lead with three double-doubles, leads the team with 8.2 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 1.5 blocks and is second on the team with 12.4 points per game.

CANES HAND PENN STATE FIRST LOSS
Sixth-ranked Penn State came to the BankUnited Center on Nov. 29 with a perfect 5-0 record. However, the Hurricanes forced the Lady Lions into 20 first-half turnovers and held on for a 69-65 victory.

Morgan Stroman led the Canes with 15 points and five steals, while Stefanie Yderstrom and Michelle Woods added 13 and 11 points, respectively.

At No. 6, Penn State was a the second-best ranked team Miami has ever defeated (No. 5 Maryland - 2012).

UM HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT HONORS
Behind back-to-back 18-point performances from Stefanie Yderstrom, the Canes claimed wins over Central Connecticut State and Wisconsin. For her efforts, Yderstrom was named the tournament's MVP.

In the two games, Shawnice Wilson totaled 16 points and 19 rebounds while freshman Keyona Hayes picked up her third double-double (11 points, 15 rebounds) of the season against the Blue Devils. Each earned a spot on the all-tournament team.

GETTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT
After their rout of UNF, the Hurricanes are 32-9 in season-opening games and are a combined 24-3 when they open the season at home, including a perfect 8-0 record when opening the season at the BankUnited Center.

NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP FOR WOODS
In her first game of the 2012-13 season, sophomore Michelle Woods hit five three-pointers on her way to a career-best 19 points. In the very next game, the guard from Naples, Fla., scored a new career-best of 20 points in a 69-63 win at Richmond.

Woods came on strong in the second half of Miami's loss to Tennessee, helping the Canes erase a 27-point deficit, scoring a team-high 17 points. After 13 games, the guard is averaging 9.2 points per game, good for third on the team

MEIER ENTERS EIGHTH SEASON AT MIAMI
In 2012-13, head coach Katie Meier and her staff will begin their eighth year at the helm in Coral Gables. The Hurricanes advanced to the NCAA tournament second round for the second consecutive season, finishing second in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 14-2 record. Overall, Miami finished with a 26-6 record, the third straight 20-win season for Meier.

A GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION
Junior Maria Brown made her first career start in the UM Thanksgiving Tournament final against Radford. The forward responded with eight points and nine rebounds.

On the season, Brown is averaging 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game and is shooting 46 percent from the floor.

HITTING THE BOOKS
Stefanie Yderstrom has been named to the ACC All-Academic Team each of the last two seasons. The senior is a sports administration major, has earned an overall 3.28 GPA and a was named to the dean's list last semester with a 3.66 GPA.

WELCOME BACK
In her first game on the court since an Achilles' tendon tear midway through the 2011-12 season, senior forward Morgan Stroman scored 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and led her team with eight rebounds.

UM THANKSGIVING TOURNAMENT HONORS
Seniors Stefanie Yderstrom and Morgan Stroman were recognized for their outstanding play in leading the Hurricanes to a UM Thanksgiving Tournament title with wins over FAU and Radford.

Yderstrom led all scorers with 19 points against FAU and Stroman finished each contest with 11 rebounds. Against Radford, Stroman also poured in 22 points, just one shy of her career-best. It was her first double-double of the season. For her efforts, Stroman was named the tournament's MVP, while Yderstrom earned all-tourney honors.

RETURNING ALL-ACC PERFORMERS
Miami returns two All-ACC players for the 2012-13 campaign. Sharp-shooting point guard Stefanie Yderstrom earned third-team conference honors last season, leading the ACC with 68 3-pointers. Morgan Stroman was well on her way to earning conference honors for the second consecutive season. However, midway through the season, the 2009 McDonald's All-American tore her Achilles tendon, ending her junior campaign. As a sophomore, the forward earned third-team honors.

STARTING A NEW STREAK
Prior to its Nov. 18 loss vs. No. 20 Tennessee, the Hurricanes held the nation's second-longest home win streak at 41 games. Miami had gone 1,001 days without dropping a game inside the BankUnited Center. Since the loss, Miami has won 10 straight home games.

UM STUDENT-ATHLETES SET GSR RECORD
The University of Miami recorded a department-wide school-record Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 93 percent, according to the rates released Oct. 25 by the NCAA.

As a department, Miami's 93 percent GSR ranks fourth among ACC schools and is eighth overall among FBS schools. Overall, the University of Miami athletic department has improved from 77 to 93 percent from 2005 to 2012, a year after UM student-athletes posted a then-record 89 percent GSR in 2011. UM has exceeded the NCAA average GSR in each of the last eight years.

Six UM teams compiled GSR marks of 100 percent; men's diving and golf posted its eighth consecutive perfect GSR mark, while women's tennis recorded its fifth straight GSR score of 100 percent. Also adding perfect GSR scorers were women's rowing, women's golf, women's swimming and volleyball.

The most recent Division I Graduation Success Rates are based on the four entering classes from 2002-2003 through 2005-06.

UM BRINGS IN 11TH-RANKED CLASS
Head coach Katie Meier officially announced the program's signees on Nov. 15. The group, comprised of three high school standouts, is Adrienne Motley (Newport News, Va.), Nigia Greene (Atlanta, Ga.) and Jessica Thomas (Gainesville, Fla.). The trio will join the Hurricanes for the 2013-14 academic year.

Motley, a 5-9 guard from Woodside High School, has been ranked the No. 27 overall prospect and the seventh best point guard in the nation by ESPN HoopGurlz.

Greene is a four-star prospect according to ESPN HoopGurlz. She is ranked No. 41 overall, and the ninth-best guard in the nation.

Thomas is ranked the 48th best point guard in the nation by ESPN HoopGurlz. In 2011, the 5-6 guard led the Buchholz High School Bobcats to the semifinals of the Florida Girls State Basketball Playoffs. She is the younger sister of Hurricane legend Lamar Thomas.

THE NEWCOMERS
The Canes welcome freshmen Caprice Dennis (G, 5-9) from Detroit, Keyona Hayes (F, 6-1) from Marietta, Ga., and Macy Keen (C, 6-6) from nearby Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., to the 2012-13 squad.

In their debuts, Dennis finished the night with five points, three assists and two steals. Hayes had four points and Keen added three rebounds and a free throw.

CANES ENTER SEASON IN THE POLLS
For the second consecutive season, the Hurricanes enter their year with a spot in each the AP and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls. Miami was ranked No. 23 in the coaches and No. 24 in the AP according to the voters. UM is currently ranked No. 25 in the coaches and No. 24 in the AP polls.