No. 15 Miami Cruises Past LIU, 97-49
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The No. 15 University of Miami men’s basketball (7-1) recorded its largest of margin of victory since 2016 Wednesday night, defeating the LIU Sharks (1-7), 97-49, in the Watsco Center.
The last time the Hurricanes bested an opponent by greater than 45 points came on Nov. 11, 2016, when they downed Western Carolina, 92-43.
“We got off to a great start, it was [21-0] and our defense was stifling,” head coach Jim Larrañaga said. “We tried to maintain that and did a pretty good job in the first half. In the second half I had to call a time out because we weren’t as sharp…but we regrouped and ended up with a nice 97-49 win.”
Five Hurricanes scored in double-figures for the third time this season, paced by Norchad Omier who poured in 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting. As a team, Miami knocked down 56.9 percent of its shots from the field and 42.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Freshman Kyshawn George scored in double-digits for the first time as a Hurricane, totaling 13 points along with two rebounds and two assists. Sophomore AJ Casey recorded a career-high seven rebounds, good for second on the team in boards.
The Hurricanes were electric from the jump, connecting on eight of their first 10 shots to take a commanding 21-0 lead six minutes into the game. Eight different Hurricanes scored a bucket in the first 20 minutes of action and five knocked down a 3-pointer.
Omier totaled 11 points and 10 rebounds in the first half to tally his fourth double-double of the season and the 55th of his career. Miami’s 59 percent first-half shooting effort gave the Hurricanes a 53-18 lead at the halftime break.
LIU scored the first four points of the second half but Miami responded with a 21-4 run to extend its lead to 48, 74-26, with 11:15 to play. Casey and redshirt sophomore Jakai Robinson each tallied a bucket in the second half to become the ninth and 10th Hurricanes to score in the game.
Miami held the Sharks to 0-of-10 from 3-point range in the second half and allowed just 31 second-half points to seal the victory.
The Hurricanes head north to New York to take on Colorado on Dec. 10 as part of the NABC Brooklyn Showcase. Tipoff at the Barclays Center is set for 2 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN 2.
