The Miami Hurricanes finished their exhibition season Friday night with a 114-60 win over Inter-American Puerto Rico University at the Convocation Center.
Six Hurricanes scored in double digits, as freshman Antoine Mayhand led the way with 20 points. Junior Robert Hite added 19 points, going 8-of-11 from the field.
Starting forward William Frisby didn’t start due to an illness, but Head Coach Frank Haith said that he would have if it were a regular season game. Anthony King replaced Frisby and grabbed nine rebounds in 17 minutes of work.
Starting point guard Anthony Harris had 15 points and 10 assists, which was great news for Haith, who is looking to solidify that position. The Hurricanes led the entire game, including 57-16 at halftime against a much-depleted IAPR squad. Puerto Rico native Guillermo Diaz struggled against his hometown opponents, finishing with 10 points. Haith was happy with the all-around play, even though the competition was not what Miami will be facing once the regular season begins.
“Our main goal was to try and focus on improving and doing the other little things that win ballgames,” Haith said. “We did those things tonight, which was great to see.”
Miami held IAPR to 33 percent shooting from the field, including 19 percent in the first half. Center Glenn Batemon looked good off the bench for Miami, finishing with eight points and seven rebounds. Carlos Cotto led IAPR with 26 points.
Miami used a 22-0 run in the first half to break the game open and take a 42-9 lead. IAPR didn’t hit double digits until there was under five minutes remaining in the half.
Guard Eric Wilkins led Miami with 12 rebounds off the bench and added 14 points. The ‘Canes shot 50 percent from the field, including 43 percent from three-point range. The Hurricanes were able to use 11 players in the ballgame, which was extremely important to Haith.
“We wanted to get a lot of guys minutes tonight,” Haith said. “It was important for us because we have to establish a bench. If we’re going to be a team that is competitive and win some games, we have to establish a bench.”
The Hurricanes open their inaugural season in the ACC on Nov. 20 against Wofford at the Convocation Center.
Douglas C. Kroll can be contacted at d.kroll@umiami.edu.