Watsco Center at the University of Miami – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Barbara Kalbfleisch
At halftime on Saturday, Miami coach Katie Meier found her players debating fixes in the locker room.
Meier was emotional and contemplative when they came back for the celebration following the game.
She hadn’t experienced many triumphs as satisfying—or as unexpected—as this one in her 22 seasons as a head coach.
Miami advanced to the second round of the women’s tournament with a 62-61 victory over eighth-seeded Oklahoma State thanks to Haley Cavinder, who scored 12 of her team-high 16 points in the second half and sank the game-winning free throw with 8.9 seconds remaining. That tied the NCAA tournament’s fifth-largest comeback in terms of size.
“I wanted to remind them like when life gets hard and you’re going through some stuff and it doesn’t look really good, I want you to remember this moment,” Meier said. “I really want you to look at your teammates and remember what it took for you guys to make the comeback you did.”
In terms of basketball, it required a more aggressive defense, a selfless attack, a deeper dedication to correcting errors, and some luck in those tumultuous, frenetic last seconds.
Everyone’s nerves and emotions were put to the test during the back-and-forth stretch run, which included a missed free throw with 8.9 seconds left, a 3-pointer by Anna Gret Asi to make it a one-point game, and a 5-second call on Miami’s subsequent inbound play to give Oklahoma State one more chance.
The game wasn’t finished, though, until Naomie Alnatas’ 10-foot runner at the buzzer went over the rim, leaving the sixth-year guard and her teammates sitting on the court bemoaning the loss.
Asi had 16 points and four 3-pointers to lead the Cowgirls (21-12). Taylen Collins pulled down 16 rebounds, and Alnatas scored 10 points.
Jasmyn Roberts scored 12 points and Cavinder finished with eight rebounds and six assists.
Surprisingly, Miami (20-12) advances to play top-seeded Indiana (28-3) on the Hoosiers’ home court despite being behind 37-20 at the break.
Depending on the viewpoint, many things could have been explained.
“I was really just trying to bring a sense of calm and peace to the chaos and felt it was a combination of some people tightening up and then some people being too lax,” Oklahoma State coach Jacie Hoyt said through a cracking voice and damp, reddened eyes. “I know in the future that’s going to help me become a better coach.”
On Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Bloomington, Indiana, during the women’s NCAA Tournament, Oklahoma State’s Naomie Alnatas (3) sits on the floor after missing a last-second shot to defeat Miami.
Miami took another stance.
“I think that’s March,” Cavinder said. “It was nerve-wracking, but we finished the game strong and yeah, it’s something I’ll remember forever.”
Likewise, the discouraged Cowgirls won’t soon forget it.
They lost the first 11 points of the third quarter before coming back to take a 44-40 lead into the fourth, and for a brief minute, Meier believed the miraculous comeback could be finished after they had shot nearly 52 percent in the first half.
Instead, Miami scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter’s opening frame to grab an early 53-46 lead, but the Cowgirls answered with a 10-2 run with three minutes to go to take the lead at 56-55.
With 62 seconds left, Ja’le Williams sank a short shot to make it 61-56 before Cavinder converted 1 of 2 free throws to set up the finish. After that, Harden and Cavinder each made consecutive layups to respond.
“When you say to encourage that means to put courage into someone’s heart and we had to put courage into each other’s hearts, including mine,” Meier said. “They had to convince me. This is a huge wonderful memory, of sport, but it’s a lifetime memory, too.”
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Miami: The Hurricanes’ resiliency in battling back was impressive. On defense, they blocked shots, created mistakes, and discovered ways to score late in the game. It remains to be seen if they will have the stamina to make things challenging for Indiana on Monday.
Oklahoma State: Jacie Hoyt led the Cowgirls into the NCAA Tournament as a first-year head coach. Yet Oklahoma State will have to wait until the start of the following season to stop and reflect on the early exit and the lost opportunity.
Next Up for Miami
In each of her previous three tournament runs, Hurricanes coach Katie Meier advanced the team to the second round. A year ago, though, their run ended against eventual national champion South Carolina. They travel to face a different No. 1 seed this year.
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Mike has more than 30 years of experience in marketing and public relations. He once owned his own agency and has worked with some of the largest brands in the world.
