Miami Overcomes Free Throw Shooting Woes Defeating Stanford in Late Night Clash

The Miami Hurricanes battle back down nine in the second half to defeat the Stanford Cardinal.

Nov 23, 2025; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes forward Malik Reneau (5) lays up a shot against the Delaware State Hornets during the first half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — A winter storm tears through America, but in South Florida, the sun continues to shine for the Miami Hurricanes (17-4, 6-2 ACC).

However, the Watsco Center found a cold front circle inside the building —specifically at the free-throw line. The Hurricanes survive a rough free-throw shooting night as they down the Stanford Cardinal to win their second game in a row, 79-70.

"You always want to be greedy," Miami head coach Jai Lucas laughed off the free-throw shooting postgame. "19 for whatever, as long as we get to 19, because it just wears on teams. Because if you are shooting that many free throws, that means they got foul trouble. You know, we've been able to kind of enforce our will. We'll probably get some second-chance points, some offensive rebounds from that, things like that. We practice them, some nights we're good at them, some nights we're bad at them, but we just keep chipping away."

The free-throw shooting held the Canes back from a complete game, but not from winning. Defensively, they were sound, generating 13 turnovers, limiting the explosive scorers and playmakers. The Canes also saw another lineup change.

Freshman Dante Allen remained in the starting lineup, like against Syracuse. At the same time, the Hurricanes saw the return of Tre Donaldson to the starting five, pushing defensive ace Tru Washington to the bench.

Donaldson started the game hot, scoring 11 of the Canes' 16 points, and he continued to keep the team together even when they struggled to close the first half. The senior guard finished the game with 18 points, three assists, and three rebounds, guiding the team to victory even in those struggles.

However, the first half also saw another star guard battle back against him. Stanford star freshman Ebuka Okorie found ways to attack the rim and knock down open three pointers. 

Okorie finished the game with 19 points, but it took 21 shots to get there. Miami had multiple game plans for the star guard, and eventually one had to stick.

“I mean, we had like five contingency plans," Lucas said. "We went through three of them. This is high praise because of how good I think he is. He is able to get through tight cracks and split a ball screen the best I've seen in college since Kemba Walker."

Going into halftime, the Canes continued to struggle at the free-throw line and beyond the arc. It would be the story for the rest of the night. 

Since conference play started, the Canes wanted to make over 70 percent from the line, and they became consistent from the charity stripe. Against the Cardinal, it held them back from staying in the game and running away with it.

Star freshman Shelton Henderson struggled offensively all night from the field and the free-throw line. He finished shooting 4-11 from the field and 4-9 from the charity stripe. However, defensively, he was the primary defender on Okorie in the final ten minutes of the game. Face guarding him at every oppurnity making plans three of five for Lucas work against the guard.

However it still wasn't enough.

With eight minutes remaining in the second-half, the Hurricanes were shooting 8-14 from the charity stripe, nearly keeping them out of the game. However, everything changed when, ironically, freshman Timo Malovec was fouled shooting a three. 

He stepped to the line and proceeded to miss every free throw, sucking the air out of the Watsco Center while the Cardinal extended their lead to nine. However, the Canes never quit. Malovec knocked down back-to-back three-pointers, cutting the lead to four with less than 12 minutes remaining

"I think we've got to stay poised when it comes down to those moments," Hederson said. "Just knowing that the game's not over. There are still eight minutes on the clock. Still a lot of gameleft. 
Knowing that we're still in it to the buzzer goes off, as we trust Timo to make shots, that's what we got down the stretch when we need them."

The Hurricanes began forcing the Cardinal into difficult shots while Miami got in transition, forcing turnovers and making timely shots. Donaldson knocked down a three to tie the game, and the message was simple at that point. Finish the game.

At that point, Miami took over. In the final 6 minutes of the game, the Hurricanes went on a 14-2 run, separating themselves from the Cardinal and defeating them in an electric game. They also closed out the game shooting 10-12 from the line. Donaldson guided the team to victory, running the same play over and over. In Lucas's eyes, he has started to grow from a good guard to a great one.

"I think he has had a great year so far," Lucas said. "He's shown that part of his game since he's been here...But just his ability, like the second half, to be honest with you, we ran the same play. So, you know, just having those guys down the stretch, it's very important. You always need to get a good guard, and he's turning from a good guard to a great guard for us."

Miami closes out its two-game homestand Saturday as the Hurricanes host Cal at 4 p.m. Eastern on ACC Network.

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