Miami Basketball Dominates In the Paint Again, Drowning Stetson by 40
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CORAL GABLES — Traffic and testing around this time can be challenging for many to get to games at the Watsco Center, but luckily for those in attendance, they got to see what head coach Jai Lucas is building with the program.
The Miami Hurricanes (3-0) have won three games in a row as they dismantled the Stetson Hatters (1-2) 102-61.
Moreover, for Lucas, he wanted to try something new — Tre Donaldson was set to come off the bench while freshman Timo Malovec was called to start.
"We just had some minor little nicks and injuries," Lucas said following the win. "Tre [Donaldson] was kind of a game time decision. So it just kind of seeing if he was going to get out there and how warm ups with Ernest [Udeh Jr.] is dealing with something with his upper body, too, everybody's just kind of banged up a little bit. So I tried to sub a little less, but just going into the game, I knew it, and I wanted to try my best to get their mindset and mind frame in the right place. It wasn't there to start, eventually, we worked our way in there."
That dream scenario was short-lived as the Hurricanes struggled in the first four minutes, committing four turnovers on their first four possessions. The Hatters had watched some of the Jacksonville tape and saw that the Canes struggled with a zone. They did until Donaldson entered, and the Hurricanes took off from there.
In the first half alone, the Hurricanes had four players in double figures. Shelton Henderson(finished with 15), Malik Reneau, Donaldson (15), and Tru Washington (15) dominated inside the paint and knocked a few shots down from the outside.
AND ONE 😤 @shelt0n2 🐚
— Canes Men’s Basketball (@CanesHoops) November 11, 2025
📺 ACCN pic.twitter.com/ESJjNmjW2s
Reneau single-handedly brought the Canes into the game, going on his own mini run, which led to a 15-0 run for Miami. The Canes never trailed again. Reneau finished the game dominating again and, for his third straight game, finished with a double-double: 22 points and 10 rebounds.
"My teammates, they find me a lot and a lot of situations where I'm in the middle," Reneau said after the game, "I'm the facilitator and they like me in those positions, so I'm able to assist and score points in those areas."
Reneau continued.
LEEK FOR 👌 @MalikReneau
— Canes Men’s Basketball (@CanesHoops) November 11, 2025
📺 ACCN pic.twitter.com/bhOlhpNEo3
Just being in the right spots, coach put them in the right spots," Reneau said. "I think that I'm able to get to my spots, coach knowing how to use me in the pockets and stuff like that. Then, throughout the zone, it's just being that middle guy to put pressure on the defense in the middle. So I think just being in the right position and close to putting me in those positions to be successful."
The Hurricanes pounded away at the paint, finishing with 56 paint points, dominating in transition and on defense. Miami's defensive efforts are not going unnoticed, despite Lucas's critical assessment of his team. The Hurricanes finished with 11 steals and one block.
They limited the Hatters to one three-pointer in the second half after allowing seven. The Hurricanes' defense might be elite, and only time will tell how far they can sustain.
The Hurricanes will face their first serious test of the season in their next game as they face the reigning National Champions, No. 10 Florida, in a neutral-site game on Nov. 17 at 8:30 p.m.
Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for the Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at Twitter @Justice_News5.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.