Hurricanes Ready For Lehigh

Dec. 28, 2002

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LEHIGH UNIVERSITY (6-3)
vs.
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI (5-4)

Monday, December 30, 2002 – 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Miami Arena (15,388) – Miami, FL
TV – None; Radio – WAXY (790 AM)
Website: hurricanesports.com

ON LEHIGH:
Lehigh enters its game with the Hurricanes sporting a 6-3 record on the season following a 54-48 win at Stony Brook on December 23. The Mountain Hawks boast an experienced group of players which includes four seniors and one junior in the starting lineup. Leading Lehigh this season has been the senior duo of Matt Logie and Zlatko Savovic. Logie leads the team in scoring at 14.6 points per game while Savovic is right behind him at 14.1 points per contest. Lehigh, which is 1-3 on the road this season, has shown the ability to shut teams down defensively holding opponents to 60.6 points per game and 37.6 percent (189-503) shooting from the field.

THE SERIES:
Miami and Lehigh meet for the sixth time with the Hurricanes leading the all-time series, 4-1. Miami and Lehigh last met on December 27, 2000 with the Hurricanes coming away with a 71-52 win at the Miami Arena. Miami is 4-0 all-time against Lehigh at the Miami Arena. Miami’s lone loss to the Mountain Hawks came on December 27, 1989 when Lehigh defeated the Hurricanes 83-59 at the Eastern Airlines Palm Beach Classic in West Palm Beach, FL.

UP NEXT:
Following the Lehigh game the Hurricanes take on North Carolina on January 4 in the Convocation Center, its new $48 million on-campus arena.

UNC TICKETS ON SALE:
Single game tickets for Miami’s opening game in the Convocation Center on January 4 against North Carolina are now on sale. Call 1-800-GO-CANES for more information.

A WIN AGAINST LEHIGH WOULD:
***Improve Miami’s record to 6-4 on the season.
***Give Miami a 135-66 all-time record at Miami Arena.
***Mark UM’s 19th straight home win against non-conference opponents.

LAST GAME:
MIAMI 62, UCF 51
December 27, 2002
UCF Arena, Orlando, FL
Forward James Jones scored 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds to lead the University of Miami to a 62-51 win over the University of Central Florida at UCF Arena.

The Hurricanes, who recorded their first road win of the season, got a career-high 11 points from point guard Paulo Coelho, who started for the first time this season. Freshman Robert Hite added 10 points for the Hurricanes.

UCF was led by Ray Abellard with 12 points while Dexter Lyons added 10.

The teams played mostly dead even in the first half until Miami ran off nine straight points, capped by a Gary Hamilton layup that put the Hurricanes up 29-20 with 3:18 left in the half. UCF responded with a 7-0 run that Lyons started with a three-pointer and Roberto Morentin finished with a free throw to close to 29-27.

Miami led 31-29 at halftime and UCF drew even at 32-32 early in the second half on another free throw by Morentin but Darius Rice’s only basket of the game gave Miami a 34-32 lead with 17:11 to go.

The Hurricanes pushed the advantage to 55-44 forcing UCF into a series of turnovers. The Golden Knights turned the ball over 25 times on the night which the Hurricanes converted into 28 points.

Miami put the game away by hitting seven of eight free throws in the final minute. Coelho hit four of those free throws and was five of six from the line on the night.

TV/RADIO COVERAGE:
Miami’s game versus Lehigh will not be televised. The game will be broadcast on the Hurricane Radio Network (WAXY – 790 AM). Steve Goldstein will call all the action. Brian London will serve as studio host. Fans can also catch the game on the web at hurricanesports.com.

ON THE COACHES:
University of Miami head coach Perry Clark is his third season with the Hurricanes and 14th season overall as a collegiate head coach. Clark is 45-25 (.643) at Miami while his career record stands at 230-170 (.575). Last season Clark led the Hurricanes to the NCAA Tournament marking the ninth time in 13 seasons he has guided his team to post season play.

Lehigh head coach Billy Taylor is in his first season posting a 6-3 mark heading into the Miami game. At age 29 he is the second youngest head coach in Division I.

UM PLAYS FINAL GAME AT MIAMI ARENA:
Miami’s matchup with Lehigh marks the Hurricanes’ final game at Miami Arena. UM will move into The Convocation Center, its new $48 million on-campus facility, beginning Jan. 4 against North Carolina.

Miami began playing its home games at the Miami Arena in 1988 and has registered a 134-66 (.670) record. Since 1994-95 the Hurricanes have compiled a 97-26 (.789) overall home record at the Arena, including a 4-0 mark this season.

UM is 50-19 (.725) in its last 69 BIG EAST home games dating back to the 1994-95 season. Miami has won 18 straight non-conference games at Miami Arena. Miami’s last home loss to a non-conference opponent was on January 29, 2000 versus Kentucky (60-57).

Miami’s first game at Miami Arena was on November 25, 1988 against Maryland-Eastern Shore. The Hurricanes won 108-80.

VS THE STATE OF FLORIDA:
Miami is 293-144 (.670) against teams from the state of Florida. Miami has won 28 of its last 31 games against Florida schools dating back to the 1992-93 season.

POSITIVE INFLUENCE:
Freshman point guard Armondo Surratt seems to have quite an affect on both James Jones’ and Darius Rice’s numbers when he is in the starting lineup.

In the six games Surratt was not in the starting lineup Jones averaged 16.2 points while shooting 36-84 (.429) from the floor including 9-21 (.429) from three-point range. In the three games that Surratt started Jones averaged 22.7 points and shot 22-36 (.611) from the field and 10-17 (.588) from long distance.

Rice is averaging 12.3 points while shooting 24-66 (.364) from the field including 7-25 (.280) from three-point range when Surratt comes off the bench. With Surratt in the starting line-up Rice is averaging 23.7 points and has shot 25-51 (.490) from the field and 10-22 (.455) from behind the arc.

As a team the Hurricanes averaged 75.3 points and shot 41.8 percent (162-388) from the field and 28.6 percent (28-98) from behind the arc. With Surratt starting the Hurricanes are averaging 78.7 points and have shot 82-186 (.441) from the field including 30-66 (.455) from three-point range.

MIAMI IN THE 2002-03 POLLS:
Miami is unranked. Miami’s highest ranking ever came on March 1, 1960 when the Hurricanes jumped to No. 8 in the Associated Press poll. Miami’s highest ranking since the rebirth of the program in 1985 is ninth by the Associated Press on March 1, 1999. The Hurricanes highest ranking in the Coaches poll came on March 1, 1999 (10th).

SUCCESS IN THE SUNSHINE STATE:
Entering the 2002-03 season the Hurricanes are the only team in the state of Florida to register a winning record in each of the last eight seasons. The Hurricanes’ 150-89 (.628) mark since the 1994-95 season is the top winning percentage over the last eight seasons while the 150 wins ranks second among the state’s 11 Division I programs.