Lucas Earns First Career Victory in 86-69 Win over Jacksonville
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Miami men’s basketball opened the Jai Lucas with an 86-69 victory over Jacksonville on Monday inside the Watsco Center.
Five Hurricanes finished in double figures as Malik Reneau led all scorers with 20 points while Ernest Udeh Jr. added a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Shelton Henderson added 15 points in his first-career game as Tru Washington and Tre Donaldson added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
The Hurricanes (1-0) took a 41-35 lead into the half after shooting 54.2% from the floor and 14-of-19 from the charity stripe. The Dolphins (0-1) gained an early 12-8 after hitting four-consecutive 3-pointers, but the Hurricanes responded with a 10-0 run of their own to take a 18-12 lead, holding Jacksonville scoreless for nearly four minutes.
In the second half, Miami held a 14-point advantage, 53-39, after opening the half on a 12-4 run. The Hurricanes kept the pressure on in the middle of the stanza, going on a 7-0 run to push the lead to 75-55.
Miami finished the game shooting 55.1-percent (27-of-49) from the floor while holding Jacksonville to just 28.6-percent from beyond the 3-point line.
Miami returns to action inside the Watsco Center against Bethune-Cookman on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Tickets are available for the 2025-26 men’s basketball season and can be purchased online at www.miamihurricanes.com/tickets.
POSTGAME QUOTES
Head Coach Jai Lucas
Opening statement …
“Of course, I’m excited about winning. You know, tonight we had some first-game stuff, first-game jitters and all that. We’ve got some guys who have been phenomenal in practice. One guy I’m really heartbroken about is Dante (Allen). He had a great preseason, and he’s a freshman. I’ve got to give love to say he’s just a freshman, and this was his first college game. He’s somebody who’s going to be a big part of what we do. Another one who really played well for us was Ernest. I’m yelling at him all game to get a rebound, and then I look up and he’s got 14. We had five guys in double figures, which is big. We turned the ball over a little too much, but we shared it the right way. For us, this game was about identity and our standard. We were almost there, not all the way, but it’s the first game, so I’ll give them the benefit of that.”
On having his wife present the game ball…
“That moment meant a lot. I’ve never seen my wife that fired up before, so it was exciting to see her like that. She’s been the biggest part of my journey through all this. Sharing that moment with her meant everything, she’s part of the reason I’m even sitting here. She planted the seed and sacrificed so much for me to get here. Without her, I wouldn’t be in this position. And yeah, the guys said they thought about dumping water on me, but they said that’s coming after the championship.”
On what he learned about his team tonight…
“We’ve got good resilience. The one thing that carried over from practice was our rebounding, our physicality, and our ability to get to the free throw line. We’ve done that in scrimmages, and it carried over. This was our first time facing a little adversity, them coming out in that 1-3-1 zone. I haven’t seen one of those in three years. I’ve watched almost every game the last three years preparing for this one, so just being able to adjust on the fly and figure out how to attack it, and staying poised, was what stood out.”
Ernest Udeh Jr, Center, Senior
On what he learned about the team tonight…
“We’re resilient. I’ve been saying it since the summer — our chemistry is there. We’re all bought in, and we love each other. Point blank, we love each other. When you have that, everything else takes care of itself. In intense, back-and-forth games, that love helps us push through any run the other team goes on and keeps us focused on playing our brand of basketball.”
On being selected to address the crowd before the game…
“They told me maybe a day or two before. Everyone knows I’m a good talker, but honestly, that moment meant a lot. Everything I said came from the heart. We meet fans every night, and we really appreciate their support. It was special to be the one to thank them before the game.”
Malik Reneau, Foward, Senior
On how special the night was…
“It was super special for everybody — not just me. Coach got his first win, I had a double-double, and everybody contributed. But we’ve got to keep going, keep practicing hard every day, and keep building.”
On his chemistry with Ernest…
“It’s big. When I see him in the dunker spot, the big one has to guard both of us, and that’s tough. I’ve got good touch around the rim, so the defense has to pick their poison, either I score, or it’s a lob to him, or I get fouled. That’s how I ended up with 12 free throws. Defensively, too, it’s about communication. We both know we’re the anchors, and we take pride in being physical and holding it down inside.”
