The University of Miami men’s basketball team dominated the Florida State Seminoles in an 86-63 victory on Tuesday night at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.
The blowout in Tallahassee was never close as the 20th-ranked Hurricanes (16-4, 7-3 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)) led 54-28 at halftime and coasted the rest of the way to a 23-point win.
“Well, I thought we got off to a great start with a lot of energy and a lot of determination at both ends of the court. We defended very well in the first half; we only gave up 28 points, which is really good,” Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga said. “But we also shot the ball extremely well. We shared the ball. [We had] 14 assists and 54 points. When we’re sharing the ball and shooting the ball like that, it gives me a lot of confidence. I’m sure our players felt great about it.”
The Seminoles (7-14, 5-5 ACC) jumped out to an early 4-1 lead, but Miami went on a resounding 18-0 run in less than three minutes, and the Hurricanes never looked back.
Third-year sophomore Nijel Pack drilled three 3-pointers, while sophomore Wooga Poplar hit one of his own during the run.
Miami continued its stellar shooting from behind the arc on another run, this time 18-8 in favor of the ‘Canes, with four more 3-pointers to give the Hurricanes a 39-17 advantage. Miami went 15 of 22 from 3-point range over the course of the game.
The Hurricanes’ lead grew to as large as 28 in the first half and was 26 as the teams headed into the locker room. Miami shot an impressive 60.6% from the field and held a 19-0 lead in second chance points in the first half.
The second half did not provide much drama, as the Seminoles were never able to push the deficit any closer than 21.
The Hurricanes, in the largest road victory for either team in the in-state rivalry’s history, were led in scoring by Pack and fourth-year junior Isaiah Wong, who each scored 18 points.
Sophomore Norchad Omier added 12 points and 11 rebounds, Wooga Poplar scored 14 points with two 3-pointers and senior Jordan Miller dropped 12 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting night as the entire Miami starting lineup landed in double figures on Tuesday.
Junior Caleb Mills led the Seminoles in scoring with 12 points and was joined in double figures by sophomores Naheem McLeod and Matthew Cleveland with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Miami will continue its road trip against the Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday at 4 p.m. The matchup at the Petersen Events Center will be aired on ESPNU.