The Miami Hurricanes women’s basketball team hit a bump on the road Thursday night, falling 73-62 to North Carolina in their first ACC road loss of the season. It was a game that started with promise but gradually slipped away as the Tar Heels seized control in the second half and never looked back.
Early on, Miami showed fight. The Hurricanes led three different times in the first quarter, scrapping their way into the game despite shooting just 27% from the field.
They leaned on the three-ball to stay close-nine of their first points came from beyond the arc-and they actually won the battle on the boards 14-11 in that opening frame. Five different players got on the scoreboard, a sign of balanced offensive effort, and they trailed by just two, 15-13, after one.
In the second quarter, North Carolina tried to pull away, but Miami punched back. Ahnay Adams and Amarchi Kimpson delivered back-to-back buckets to tie things up at 17-all, and Kimpson kept the momentum going.
The freshman guard was aggressive and confident, helping the Hurricanes find their rhythm and close the half on a high note. By the break, Miami had flipped the script and held a 34-32 lead.
But coming out of the locker room, the Tar Heels made a statement. North Carolina opened the third quarter with an 11-2 run that put them back in front and set the tone for the rest of the night.
A technical foul on Candace Kpetikou only added fuel to UNC’s fire, and the Tar Heels stretched their lead into double digits. By the end of the third, Miami was staring at a 10-point deficit, 56-46.
The fourth quarter didn’t offer much relief for the Hurricanes. North Carolina kicked things off with a 7-0 run, and Miami’s offense stalled.
They shot just 35% from the field and 25% from three in the final period-numbers that simply won’t cut it against a team like UNC. Even with strong efforts from Kimpson and Gal Raviv, who each poured in 16 points, the Canes couldn’t close the gap.
Miami finished the night shooting 21-of-61 from the floor and 8-of-32 from deep. They also turned the ball over 12 times-mistakes that proved costly in a game where every possession mattered. The loss drops the Hurricanes to 11-7 overall and 3-4 in ACC play.
There were bright spots-Kimpson’s continued emergence as a scoring threat, Raviv’s consistency-but if Miami wants to climb the conference standings, they’ll need to tighten things up. That means better shot selection, fewer turnovers, and a more sustained defensive effort across all four quarters.
Next up: a tough road test against Notre Dame in South Bend on Jan. 22.
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. The ACC grind doesn’t let up, and the Hurricanes will need to regroup quickly if they want to stay in the thick of the postseason conversation.