Florida Gulf Coast Eagles at Miami Hurricanes

Miami scores with 1.5 seconds left to advance past FGCU

No call.

No upset, either.

Hayes scored 16 points, including the go-ahead basket inside with 1.5 seconds remaining when she simply overpowered Gradinjan, and fourth-seeded Miami rallied to beat 13th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast 62-60 in an NCAA Tournament first-round game Saturday.

"We're still alive," Miami coach Katie Meier said. "And we're very excited."

"A good no-call," Hayes said.

"Usually I watch the game on the way home," FGCU coach Karl Smesko said. "I may wait a couple days. ... I don't think you can ever blame a call or two calls. There's 1,000 plays within a game."

Emese Hof scored 14 points for the Hurricanes, who won despite shooting 1 for 14 from 3-point range and getting only four points from top scorer Adrienne Motley before she fouled out.

Alexander scored 11 points, while Dow and Rosemarie Julien each scored 10 for FGCU.

A 3-pointer from Julien tied it at 51 with 4:22 remaining, but she fouled out a half-minute later on a call away from the basket. And from there, it was a wild back and forth with the outcome not decided until the final buzzer.

Dow scored with 1:13 left to give FGCU its last lead. Hof's three-point play with 49.4 seconds remaining put Miami back up by two, and Gradinjan's 3 tied the game for the fifth time.

The last basket was Hayes simply being too much.

"That's what the refs thought it was," said Gradinjan, her eyes and face still red 20 minutes after the final buzzer. "You've got to deal with it."

FGCU started 1 for 17 from 3-point range, then got a spark late in the third.

After scoring 30 points in 28 minutes, the Eagles scored five in five seconds. Jess Cattani's 3-pointer dropped simultaneous to a foul being called on Hof under the basket. That gave FGCU another possession, and Dow's basket off the inbounds got the Eagles within 39-35. The lead for Miami was still four going into the fourth.

"We just had the will to win," Miami guard Jessica Thomas said, "and didn't want to take no for an answer."

BIG PICTURE

Florida Gulf Coast: The Eagles didn't take their first free throw until 9:31 remained in the game. Miami had taken 15 to that point. FGCU finished 3 for 6 from the line, while Miami went 17 for 20. ... FGCU entered the NCAA Tournament as one of five Division I schools to have both its men's and women's teams win at least 25 games this season. ... FGCU was 9 for 34 from 3-point land.

Miami: The Hurricanes held a 41-26 rebounding edge and a 12-2 edge in second-chance points. ... Miami shot 70 percent (7-10) in the fourth quarter, and 36 percent (15-42) in the first three. ... Hayes and Hof were a combined 12 for 20 from the field.

SLOW START

POSTSEASON REGULARS

FGCU has been in a national postseason tournament in each of the last 12 seasons, including the last 10 at Division I. Miami has been in either the NCAAs or the WNIT in each of the last eight seasons.

How can I watch Eagles vs. Hurricanes?

• TV Channel: Eagles vs Hurricanes 2021 College Basketball, week 1, is broadcasted on ESPN2.
• Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Location: Coral Gables, FL
Attendance: 2,232 | Capacity: