Nov. 25, 2006

Box Score

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Senior guard Renee Taylor knocked down 28 points en route to earning Tournament MVP honors as Miami defeated previously-unbeaten Indiana 79-70 Saturday in the championship game of the UM Thanksgiving Tournament at the BankUnited Center.

Averaging 23.5 points over the two-day tournament, Taylor, along with junior guard Maurita Reid, who was also named to the all-tournament team following an 18-point, five-steal performance against the Hoosiers (5-1), led the Hurricanes (6-1) to the nine-point victory marking just the sixth time in school history Miami has won six of it's first seven games of the season.

A three-pointer by Reid on Miami's first possession, which eventually led to an 11-4 opening run by the Hurricanes, gave UM the first basket of a game which it would never trail.

After taking as much as a 20-point, 36-16 lead with just under two minutes remaining in the first half, Miami headed into the intermission with a 36-19 lead.

The Hurricanes wouldn't let Indiana within 10 points of the lead for the first 11-and-a-half minutes of the second half until the Hoosier's Nikki Smith, who finished with 12 points, hit a three-pointer to close the lead to seven at 54-47.

Miami answered with a 13-4 run to go up 67-51 with 4:18 remaining.

Over the next two minutes, Indiana once again battled back, cutting the lead to seven at 67-60 with 2:35 to go, but a three-pointer by sophomore guard LaToya Cunningham with just over two minutes to play silenced the comeback as UM went on to the 79-70 victory.

In the first start of her career, freshman Charmaine Clark led Miami with seven rebounds followed by Reid's six.

The Hurricanes will take five days off before hosting Jackson State in a special throwback game held at the Knight Sports Complex, which served as the home of women's basketball from 1985-2002, Friday at 7 p.m.

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