FSU Women Fall to Miami in ACC Tourney, 56-54

For the second straight year, Florida State’s ACC title hopes were ended in the quarterfinal round by rival Miami.

With a chance to tie the game with less than five seconds to play, FSU’s Ivey Slaughter missed a pair of free throws in a 56-54 loss at the ACC Tournament near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The Seminoles will have to wait until March 13 to find out where they’ll be seeded in the NCAA Tournament.

Miami scored the game’s first six points and never looked back, although FSU made more than its fair share of runs and had more than its fair share of chances. Miami led 33-25 at halftime and by eight entering the fourth quarter. That lead was whittled down to two with about two minutes to play, but neither team could find a way to put the ball in the basket down the stretch.

FSU won the battle on the glass, but 17 turnovers and a 2-for-7 effort at the free throw line was too much to overcome. After Slaughter missed her first free throw with 4.7 seconds to play, she missed the second intentionally, but Miami grabbed the rebound and with a couple successful inbounds ran out the clock.

FSU’s Leticia Romero led all scorers with 14 points, but teammate Shakayla Thomas wasn’t far behind with 13 points. Keyona Hayes and Adrienne Motley each scored 12 points to pace the Hurricanes. Miami will advance to the ACC semifinals to face either Syracuse or Duke.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson