The No. 1 Florida Gators defeated the No. 14 Miami Hurricanes 77-67 in their season opener Monday evening in Tampa, Fla.
Miami kept the game close, but it was plagued by offensive struggles from preseason all-ACC returning standouts Shelton Henderson and Malik Reneau, who shot a combined 3-20 from the field. The Gators’ defense did a great job of forcing difficult shots and keeping them outside the paint.
The Hurricanes as a whole struggled shooting, hitting 21 of their 60 shots from the field and 4-of-17 from beyond the arc.
Thomas Haugh led the scoring for Florida with 19 points and added 10 rebounds.
Villanova transfer guard Acaden Lewis was a bright spot for Miami coach Jai Lucas and the Canes. He finished the game with 24 points to lead the scoring for both sides.
The rivals squared off last year on Nov. 16, where the Gators also came out victorious 82-68. However, in that game Florida stormed away and never looked back. Miami was very much in the thick of the game this time around.
The Hurricanes got off to an 11-8 start, led by multiple isolation buckets from Lewis. The teams continued to trade baskets over the next several minutes, with balanced scoring attacks early on.
The Gators took a 24-17 lead midway through the first half after a 9-0 run headlined by multiple three-pointers off of Miami turnovers.
They extended that lead to 46-36 at halftime after the Hurricanes struggled to get in the paint on offense and got in foul trouble on defense, as five players entered the half with two fouls, including Reneau and Henderson.
Haugh started to take over late in the first half for UF, with 13 early points on three three-pointers. The Gators had 15 points off of turnovers in the first half, compared to just three for the Hurricanes.
Lewis led UM in the first half with 12 points.
The Hurricanes were able to cut the lead down to 53-51 after some nice putback dunks from Georgia transfer center Somto Cyril. But the Gators were able to respond right back with a 13-4 run of their own, extending the lead to double digits.
Cyril looked strong in the paint in his first Miami start, but committed four fouls in the second half that slowed down his production. The Nigerian finished with 13 points on 4-for-5 shooting.
Miami never really recovered from the double digit deficit, as foul trouble and turnover problems continued. They stayed within striking distance, but the lead was within the 7-10 point range for most of the back end of the second half.
Every time UM seemed to inch closer, Florida proved they were an elite program with an immediate response. The Hurricanes committed a number of frustration fouls, allowing the Gators to extend the lead.
The second half got very chippy, with both teams entering the double bonus and three flagrant fouls called.
Despite the loss, the Hurricanes’ ability to battle with the preseason No.1 is a promising sign for the rest of the season.
Miami struggled from the field, but stayed scrappy and kept the game close.
UM (0-1) will travel back to Coral Gables for its home opener against Wagner on Friday, Nov. 6.
Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. EST, with coverage on ACC Network and WVUM 90.5 FM