The Miami Hurricanes continue to flip the switch in the second half.
Led by a career-high 23 points from forward Dewan Huell, No. 10 UM shot 51 percent from the field and hit 10 three-pointers to beat No. 12 Minnesota 86-81 in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday night in Williams Arena.
Undefeated Miami (6-0) has yet to trail in the second half this season and handed Minnesota (7-1) its first loss.
Hurricanes sophomore guard Bruce Brown added 16 points and nine rebounds, and senior guard Ja’Quan Newton had 12 points and nine assists with just one turnover.
Miami had arguably its most efficient offensive performance of the season, recording a season-high 20 assists to just eight turnovers. Both Brown and Newton effectively utilized the pick-and-roll offense, leading to a handful of wide open Huell dunks.
Big Ten Player of the Week Jordan Murphy secured his eighth double-double of the season with 17 points and 14 rebounds. He came into the night averaging 22 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, leading the conference in both categories. Guard Amir Coffey had a team-high 23 points.
The Golden Gophers, who have four players that average double-figure points, average nearly 91 points a game – the No. 14-ranked offense in the country.
The Canes came into the matchup with the No. 3 defense in opponent points per game, allowing just 54 points a contest, but gave up 26 free throws attempts to the Golden Gophers.
The Hurricanes’ free-throw shooting woes continued, making just 6-11 from the line. They are ranked No. 346 out of 351 Division I teams.
The game was the biggest test of the season so far for both teams – each playing its highest ranked opponent to this point.
This was Miami’s first true road game. Its win over La Salle was at a neutral site in Reading, Pennsylvania.
The Hurricanes come back home to face off against the Princeton Tigers at 8 p.m. Dec. 2 at AmericanAirlines Arena as part of the HoopHall Miami Invitational.