The Miami Hurricanes improved to 8-2 Saturday afternoon as they defeated the Southern Miss Golden Eagles 88-64.
Miami had entered this game coming off two wins over teams from Power 5 Conferences, their latest against Ole Miss, earning their first road win since January of last year as a program. Saturday, they faced another team from the Magnolia State looking to sweep the region. Favored by over 20 points, the Canes came into this one a little too confident.
The Golden Eagles sensed their low energy and came out aggressively with an 8-0 run to begin the game. Their run was broken by a Malik Reneau three-pointer, and the very next possession, he hit another to cut the Golden Eagles’ lead to two.
Miami’s identity is physicality in the paint, not fast-paced threes, so it was odd that their first two-pointer came over five minutes into the game – a Shelton Henderson slam darting in from the corner. Southern Miss was fighting, playing Miami the toughest of any opponent they have faced at home. The Canes’ first lead of the game came just under eight minutes into the game when Reneau had a physical and-one just after checking back into the game after two early fouls. Apart from that lead at around halfway through the first half, the Canes never got one back but managed to tie the game at 34 heading into the break.
The start of the second half wasn’t much better for Miami as Reneau got his fourth foul with just under three minutes played in the period – checking out of the game and staying absent until six minutes left in the game. However, in the first half, he was mighty efficient, scoring 11 points in 11 minutes.
The Canes jumped back in front by one as Timo Malovec hit a three just under four minutes into the second half. He showed his shooting ability throughout the game. Although the box score will only display a 40% conversion rate from beyond the arc, that number doesn’t tell the story as he threw multiple up late in the shot clock. After that made shot, Miami went on a 14-0 run, and the momentum in the Watsco Center was shifting. Ultimately, Reneau checked back into the game with six minutes left as the Canes were up 17, and his presence was immediately felt after an and-one shot to put them up 20. Even though Reneau sat because of foul trouble, he dropped 21 points in 18 minutes before eventually fouling out.
Miami truly turned it on in the second half, winning by 24. When referring to the polar distinction in level of play between the two periods, Coach Jai Lucas said, “Our intensity, our energy, our effort was there in the second half, and it was not there at all in the first half.” Both the players and Coach Lucas noted that Southern Miss played a lot harder than they did in the first half, and it had nothing to do with what each team was doing schematically.
Shelton Henderson continues to be a dominant and efficient scorer inside, but when asked about what he needs to do to take the next step scoring on the perimeter, he responded, “Just keep working. It’s an everyday process. Take my time, and just shoot the right ones when I get them, and they will fall at some point.”.
The eight win of the season marks a new achievement – although a low one – besting their own record of seven total wins last year, including conference play. The Canes now sit at 8-2 before entering conference play, illustrating the direction of the program under first-year head coach Jai Lucas.