MBB Tops LCC International University, 81-61, to Cap Foreign Tour
By Alex Schwartz
HurricaneSports.com
COSTA MASNAGA, Italy – On the final night of its trip abroad, the University of Miami men’s basketball team defeated LCC International University, 81-61, at Palazzetto Costa Masnaga.
Freshman guard Isaiah Wong paced the Hurricanes, who won all of their games on the foreign tour, with 17 points.
“Well, it was good to go 3-0 in our games here in Italy. I think the guys had a wonderful time and the most important thing was them having a chance to spend time together off the court,” Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga said. “Hopefully we now have some very good chemistry and good relationships that we can build on once the practice season begins in September and the regular season begins in November.”
Starting off hot, Wong scored eight of Miami’s first 13 points to help the Hurricanes build a 23-16 lead through one quarter of play.
Miami then opened the second frame on a 9-3 run to stretch its cushion to a baker’s dozen, 32-19. After back-and-forth action, Wong found senior center Nysier Brooks for a layup just before the halftime buzzer to give the Hurricanes a 15-point advantage, 50-35, at the intermission.
The Moose trimmed their deficit down to five, 58-53, with 3:10 remaining in the third frame, but got no closer. Miami responded with five straight points in the next minute, including back-to-back baskets by freshman forward Anthony Walker, to push its edge back to double digits and eventually held a 65-57 lead at the end of the session.
The Hurricanes took over defensively in the final period, conceding just four points. Miami did not give up even one for the first 6:30 of the quarter and the lone field goal it allowed came with just 68 seconds remaining, en route to the 20-point decision.
Redshirt junior guard Kameron McGusty once again filled the stat sheet, finishing with 13 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals.
Fellow redshirt junior Rodney Miller, Jr., a center, notched 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while Walker also logged double-digit points, registering 11, all in the second half. The Baltimore native was also one of four Hurricanes with four steals, as the team finished with 19 as a whole.
Redshirt junior forward Sam Waardenburg compiled his second straight double-figure rebound outing, logging a team-best 10 in the win.
On the trip as a whole, senior guard Dejan Vasiljevic led Miami in scoring (16.3), while Waardenburg paced the team in rebounding (10.0), McGusty did so in assists (4.3) and junior guard Chris Lykes did so in steals (3.0).
To keep up with the University of Miami men’s basketball team on social media, follow @CanesHoops on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
PLAYER STAT HIGHLIGHTS
Harlond Beverly: three points, two rebounds
Nysier Brooks: five points, two rebounds
Chris Lykes: eight points, four assists, four steals
Kameron McGusty: 13 points, five rebounds, four steals
Rodney Miller, Jr.: 12 points, five rebounds
DJ Vasiljevic: nine points, four assists
Sam Waardenburg: three points, 10 rebounds, two blocks
Anthony Walker: 11 points, four rebounds, four steals
Isaiah Wong: 17 points, three assists, four steals
