Scott Leads Men's Basketball Past Florida Southern
Nov. 9, 2009
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – True freshman Durand Scott scored a game-high 17 points with five assists and five steals to lead the University of Miami men’s basketball team to an 85-52 exhibition win over visiting Florida Southern College on Monday evening at the BankUnited Center.
“It felt great,” said Scott after the game. “I was happy to be there and just wanted to go out there and have fun with my teammates. I wanted to get a feel for the guys – just to know how they play and how I can play with them, when to pass, who the shooters are, who runs well on the floor – so I know how to put myself in the right position to make them better.”
Scott converted 6-of-8 field goals and all four of his free throw attempts in his first action for the Hurricanes. Senior Cyrus McGowan added 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting – including a 2-of-3 mark from long range – and five rebounds, while senior Adrian Thomas contributed 12 points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting and five boards.
The Hurricanes broke the game open with a 19-4 run over a six minute, 32 second span in the first half. Four points from sophomore Julian Gamble and three-pointers from Thomas and freshman Antoine Allen helped fuel the run in which eight different Hurricanes scored.
Miami led by as many as 36 points in the game. A McGowan trey followed by back-to-back dunks by the lanky senior sparked a 16-3 run, pushing the Hurricanes lead to 56-32 with 14:25 remaining in the contest. The home team didn’t let up, as four-straight Allen points and a Thomas trey pushed Miami’s lead to 30 points, up 69-39 with 8:35 to go.
“Obviously I thought we played much better in the second half,” said sixth-year head coach Frank Haith. “Defense was good most of the night. Florida Southern is a really good basketball team – one of the top Division II programs in the country. You look across the country and you see some Division II teams beating Division I teams. Our young kids – first time out the box – looked a little nervous there early on, but it was great to see us get ourselves in rhythm.”
In his debut in a Hurricane uniform, redshirt sophomore Malcolm Grant knocked down a three-pointer on Miami’s first possession. A block – the first of a game-high five – by senior Dwayne Collins, followed by a McGowanlayup and a Gamble dunk put the Hurricanes up, 7-4.
Despite losing the ACC’s leading three-point shooter in Jack McClinton, Miami was successful from long range, shooting 41.7 percent. Thomas led the perimeter attack with four three-pointers and McGowan, Scott, Allen, Dews and Grant also knocked down shots from downtown.
All but one Miami player scored in the exhibition contest.
The Hurricanes – who went 19-13 last season, advancing to the second round of the NIT – opened their last two seasons versus the Division II Moccasins and used Monday’s game as a final tune up before their 2009-10 season-opener at home on Saturday versus North Carolina Central at 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on Sun Sports.
Florida Southern, ranked eighth in the NABC Division II preseason poll, went 29-7 last season en route to its second-straight Sunshine State Conference championship. The Moccasins dropped their previous exhibition game to USF, 110-79, despite having four scorers in double figures. Miami held all but one Moc to single digits, as junior Brandon Jenkins led the visitors with 14 points and five rebounds.
Miami season tickets start as low as $99 and single game tickets start as low as $10. For more information, please contact the Hurricane Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-CANES or visit us online at hurricanesports.com.
