Miami Downs Tennessee Tech 69-58 in Opener

Box Score

Photo Gallery

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami men’s basketball team increased their season-opener winning streak to 18 consecutive victories with a 69-58 win over Tennessee Tech on Friday night.

Durand Scott (15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) opened the scoring for the season with a three-pointer from the top of the key, continuing the Hurricanes streak of making at least one three-pointer in 312-straight games.

Fellow guard Malcolm Grant (14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists) hit his first shot of the season on a three-pointer with 16:35 left in the first half to build the Hurricanes’ lead to 10-0 out of the gates.

Newcomers also played a key role in Coach Larranaga’s debut as Kenny Kadji made his first career start as a Hurricane and contributed five boards, while Trey McKinney came off the bench to ignite the team.

McKinney Jones hit late baskets to seal the big win for the Hurricanes. The former Misouri-Kansas City standout made his presence felt with 12 points and four rebounds.

Miami started the game with a 10-0 run, holding the Golden Eagles scoreless until 13:56 remaining in the first half.

Erik Swoope (11 points, 6 rebounds) made an impact dunk with 4:16 remaining to put the Canes ahead by five; it would be the last bucket scored by the Canes for the rest of the first half, unable to penetrate the Golden Eagles’ zone defense.

Tennessee Tech would tie the game up with 2:45 remaining in the first half off of a Javon McKay jumper and finish with a 10-0 run to end the first half up by five.

The second half began with a Swoope dunk that would end up being the only bucket for the Canes in the first four minutes of the frame. Having trouble with their inside game, the Hurricanes struggled until Scott drew a foul and converted both free throws to bring the Canes back within four.

Tennessee Tech would take their biggest lead of the game off a layup from Chase Dunn with 11:49 remaining that stretched the lead to nine.

The Canes began to rally late in the second half with a layup and a foul shot from Raphael Akpejori which brought the team back within three.

A three-pointer with 4:26 left from sophomore Rion Brown (7 points, 3 rebounds) gave Miami their first lead of the second half at 55-54. The Hurricanes would not surrender the lead for the remainder of the game.

The Golden Eagles fought back to within two with 2:07 remaining until McKinney-Jones responded with a dunk off the Scott dish to extend the lead to four. McKinney-Jones followed that up by hitting an open three that ended up being the final nail in the coffin. TTU would never recover, reverting to fouling for the last minute of the game.

Miami Hits 312-Straight Treys
Miami has now hit a three in 312-straight games and have made a trey in 768 of 771 games since the NCAA adopted the three-point shot in 1986.

Grant Extends Three-Point Streak
Malcolm Grant hit his first shot of the season, a three-pointer, with 16:35 left in the first half. Grant has now drained a long shot in 24-straight games.

New Faces
Junior Trey McKinney Jones and sophomore Kenny Kadji each made their Hurricane debuts in the game against Tennessee Tech.

At the Charity Stripe
Miami visited the line frequently, hitting 20 of 25 (80 percent) from the line. The 80 percent clip was an improvement off of last season’s average of 72.5 percent. Tennessee Tech missed some free opportunities, hitting only 12-of-19 (63.5 percent).

Second Chances/Off the Glass
The Hurricanes dominated the offensive glass, pulling in 14 offensive rebounds (28 total) compared to the Golden Eagles only managing five offensive boards and 26 total.

Points in the Paint
Despite missing Julian Gamble and Reggie Johnson the Canes managed to win the battle of points in the paint by a margin of 24 to 17. Most of the opportunities came off Miami’s ability to grab second chance rebounds and converting off of turnovers.

The Bench
The two benches played well in the opener, combining for 46 points. Miami had the edge with 24 with the biggest contribution coming from UMKC transfer Trey McKinney Jones with 12.

Up Next…
The Canes continue their home stand by taking on Rutgers next Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Fla. The game will be telecast on ESPN3.com and on the radio through 560 WQAM.

Season Tickets Still Available
There are still season tickets available at the Hurricanes box office for as little as $99. Fans can also check hurricanesports.com and Ticketmaster for more information.

“Coca-Cola Grab A Six Pack for the Weekend Plan” Unveiled
Fans have been given the first opportunity to buy tickets to ACC regular season games with the “Grab A Six Pack for the Weekend Plan.” The ticket plan, beginning for as little as $139 per, includes a complementary six-pack of Coca-Cola product in addition to tickets to six Hurricanes home games. Click HERE for more information.