Miami continued to dominate on its home court Sunday afternoon, defeating Delaware State 97-41.
It marked Miami’s first victory by at least 50 points since the Hurricanes defeated Nova Southeastern, 108-58, on Nov. 16, 2009.
The absence of junior guard Tru Washington and senior center Ernest Udeh Jr. did not faze the Hurricanes, showing how much depth this team can have on the bench when firing on all cylinders.
Out of the gate, Miami went on the attack quickly, starting with a strong 11-2 run. The closest this game got was when Delaware State graduate student guard Rahir Moore made a layup to tie the score at two a piece.
The game got out of hand quickly as the Hurricanes went out to a 25-7 lead around the midway point of the half, able to exercise their offensive gameplan at will.
With under six and half minutes to play, they went on a 15-2 run to move the lead to 33 and finished the first 20 minutes of play up 50-19.
Seniors Tre Donaldson and Malik Reneau were both dominant in the first half shooting a combined 11-for-11 from the field. They would finish the game going 18-for-18 as Donaldson dropped 21 compared to Reneau’s 24.
The second half had a similar story, exceptional defense from the Hurricanes and rapid-fire offense. By the under eight media timeout Miami held a 57-point lead, 88-31.
Turkish native Salih Altuntas saw increased playing time and was stellar on the offensive end shooting 6-for-7 with 13 points. He also led the team in rebounds with 11, marking his first career double-double.
As the lead grew bigger, freshman John Laboy and redshirt freshman Jordyn Kee got solid minutes as Laboy picked up his first collegiate points on a made free throw.
On the night, UM shot 61% from the field and scored 52 of its 97 points in the paint. From three-point range, they shot at 43% clip (10-for-23), compared to a Delaware State team that only shot 26% from the field.
Miami’s ceiling will largely be dictated by its ability to shoot, so to see the beyond-the-arc conversion over 40 percent bodes well for the Hurricanes future — one that will immediately be tested next week.
The ’Canes (5-1) head to Orlando next week for the Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational, where they will take on No.9 BYU on Thursday at 5 p.m.
