![No. 16/17 Hurricanes Cruise Past Florida Memorial, 71-43 No. 16/17 Hurricanes Cruise Past Florida Memorial, 71-43](https://miamihurricanes.com/imgproxy/KR4nE2L2H8CNEQChwQVAbRD-5oQ_Y0Eymm6mb26oNUM/fit/1920/1080/ce/0/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdG9yYWdlLmdvb2dsZWFwaXMuY29tL2h1cnJpY2FuZXNwb3J0cy1jb20vMjAxMi8xMC8zNzA3MGY0MC1sZWFscnRvYm5udHZ1aGIuMjAxMjA3MjcyMjE1NDguanBn.jpg)
No. 16/17 Hurricanes Cruise Past Florida Memorial, 71-43
Nov. 1, 2008
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CORAL GABLES, Fla. ā Four players scored in double figures to lead the No. 16/17 University of Miami menās basketball team past Florida Memorial, 71-43, in exhibition play on Saturday at the BankUnited Center.
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In his Hurricanes debut, junior transfer Cyrus McGowan knocked down a team-high 12 points, while Dwayne Collins added 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting and James Dewsand Jimmy Graham added 10 points apiece. Graham went a perfect 5-of-5 from the field as Miamiās big men used their size advantage to outscore Florida Memorial 40-8 in the paint and take the 44-35 advantage on the boards.
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āIt was nice to see that kind of production out of our ābigsā and that will help our perimeter players down the stretch,ā noted fifth-year head coach Frank Haith. āāIt was great for the team to get out there and play, and they were really excited ā maybe too excited early on. Florida Memorial played hard and handled the ball well. They played good defense and it provided necessary experience for our guys. We played a lot of players and used different combinations, which is what we want out of an exhibition game.ā
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Despite a slow start on Saturday, the Hurricanes came out strong in the second half, holding the Lions without a field goal through the first eight minutes of the stanza. Miami used a 21-3 run ā including back-to-back three-pointers from Brian Asbury and Dews ā to take the commanding 52-24 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the contest. The Hurricanes would lead by as many 29 points in the second half in which they outscored the Lions, 40-22.
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The Hurricanes ended the first half on a six-point run to take the 31-21 lead into the break, including seven first-half points from Dewson 3-of-4 shooting. Dews also dished out an assist in the opening stanza, feeding to the ball to DeQuan Jones for his first collegiate dunk.
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Both teams came out slow in their opening action of the season. The Lions got on the board first with a basket from Matthew Rolle, but a pair of dunks by Collins pushed the Hurricanes ahead, 8-4, and the home team would not trail again.
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Jack McClintonrecorded a team-high six assists and registered two blocks, which would be a career high during the regular season. Asbury added four assists and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, while Jones finished with eight points, seven boards and a team-high four blocks in his exhibition debut.
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The Hurricanes close out their exhibition schedule on Saturday, Nov. 8, with doubleheader versus Barry. The womenās team opens play at 3 p.m., followed by the menās game at 5:30 p.m. Miami opens the regular season at home versus Florida Southern on Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m.
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For ticket information, please contact the Hurricane Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-CANES.
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