No. 7 Miami Routs Louisiana-Monroe, 103-39

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP)– Louisiana Monroe absorbed an early blow and never recovered against Miami.

Riquna Williams, Shenise Johnson and Krystal Saunders each scored 16 points, and the No. 7 Hurricanes opened with a 22-0 run to rout the Warhawks 103-39 on Friday night.

“I had a lot of babies out there – seven freshmen – I played them all, what the heck,” Louisiana Monroe coach Mona Martin said. “We only have three seniors. It’s been a very tough season so far.”

The 16 points was a career best for Saunders, who went 6 of 8 from the field, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range. Through the Hurricanes’ first nine games, the sophomore was shooting 27 percent from the field and was just 1 of 19 from beyond the arc.

“My teammates always have had confidence in me,” Saunders said. “They told me to keep shooting.”

Morgan Stroman added 14 points and Michelle Woods had 13 for the Hurricanes in their 30th straight home win.

“It’s fun this year; it’s not just (Williams and Johnson),” Miami coach Katie Meier said. “We have a balanced team. The upperclassmen did a fantastic job of taking care of the game early. They made sure that we shared minutes like we did.”

Johnson scored eight points, including two 3-pointers, during an opening 22-0 run by Miami (9-1), which was never threatened.

The Warhawks broke the scoring drought on Larrie Williams’ jumper 4:53 into the game, but Miami scored the next 11 points and took a 33-2 lead on Jessica Capers’ jumper with 9:26 to go in the half.

Williams scored 11 points to lead Louisiana Monroe (1-10).

“They are very impressive, they run the ball so well,” Martin said. “I’ve been in this business for 36 years and they run the floor better than any team I’ve ever seen.”

The Hurricanes shot 12 of 16 from the field in the first 9 minutes, while the Warhawks converted only one of 13 shots. Miami used mostly reserves over the second 10 minutes of the first half and built a 55-19 lead at halftime.

“There are a lot of people in our second wave that would be starters somewhere else,” Meier said. “It’s very hard to break into a starting lineup that brought back every starter.

“I’ve been very blessed that I’ve had the same starting lineup for 43 games in a row.”

Johnson’s put-back 3:51 into the second half put the Hurricanes up by 40 – 64-24 – and Riquna Williams’ layup with 10:34 remaining increased the lead to 79-28.

The Hurricanes also outscored the Warhawks 25-6 in fast break points and forced 30 turnovers.

“They’ve got so much depth and they play hard,” Louisiana Monroe coach Mona Martin said. “They run the ball so well from point guard to post.”

Miami, which surpassed 90 points for the fifth time this season and topped 100 for the second time, outscored Louisiana Monroe 17-0 in the final 7:18.

“Last year we played Texas A&M and they were ranked 12th at the time,” Martin said. “They wound up winning the thing and I thought (Miami) could be a good contender for the national championship if they stay healthy.”

POST-GAME NOTES

Through the Quad
With 16 points tonight, senior guard Shenise Johnson has scored in double-figures in 81 consecutive games. It is the longest active streak in the nation. It didn’t take long for Johnson to extend her streak as she began the game with a pair of three-pointers and two layups in the game’s first three minutes.

Power Outage
Five different Hurricane players reached double-figures for the first time this season. Morgan Stroman (14), Riquna Williams (16), Shenise Johnson (16), Michelle Woods (13) and Krystal Saunders (16) each had 10 or more points. The last time Miami had five player reach double-digits was on Dec. 28, 2009 in an 83-62 win over George Washington.

Century Mark
Miami reached the 100-point plateau for the second time this season. The Canes defeated Prairie View A&M 107-26 in November.

Protect This House
The Hurricanes won their 30th straight game at the BankUnited Center with their 103-39 victory over ULM.  The 64-point win was the second largest margin of victory this season (81, Prairie View A&M).

Running Wild
The Hurricanes began and ended the game with two impressive scoring streaks that helped put away the Warhawks. Miami opened the game on a 22-0 streak and closed the contest on a 17-0 run.