Short-Handed Miami Rallies After Half Against Southern Miss Thanks To Freshmen Contribution
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CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Even without most of their bench and early foul trouble, the Miami Hurricanes (8-2) have surpassed last season's win total, defeating the Southern Miss Golden Eagles 88-64.
The Hurricanes were without Dante Allen, Marcus Allen, and Noam Dovrat, who have been key rotational pieces for the Canes all season long. With only a seven-man rotation, it was hard to find a rhythm early for the Canes.
The game started with an 8-0 run in favor of the Eagles. Offensively, UM struggled to find clean shots and was giving the other teams the ball with ease. The Eagles controlled the entire half until a set of freshmen took over in the second.
"I felt the start of the game, they just played a lot harder than we did," Lucas said. "And this is all part of growing up, all part of the process, first noon game, first Saturday game, so you kind of know and expect what's coming. I wanted to see where we would be, and we weren't there.
"We weren't to the level. And I thought that was the biggest difference between the first half and the second half is that our intensity, our energy, our effort, was there in the second half, and it was not there at all in the first half."
The game was tied 34-34. Miami was desperate to find some scoring answers from around the floor. Malik Reneau was the team's leading scorer, but was in early foul trouble, keeping him out most of the game. He eventually fouled out; however, his absence allowed others to get into the paint. Enter Shelton Henderson and his eight points coming straight out of the half.
"[Jai Lucas] let us know that we were messing around and not playing to our standards, and I think in the second half, we really flipped that switch," Henderson said after the game.
His explosiveness drew so much attention to him that it allowed another freshman to leak out and spark the offense from beyond the arc. Timo Malovec found his rhythm in the second half, knocking down three three-pointers and 13 points while playing great defense.
Just an opportunity, I think, is the biggest thing for him," Lucas said. "Timo's a really good player, and he's a really good player for us. You know, he is really talented and can do a lot of things. We're asking him to be a shooter and kind of space the floor, but he's also a guy that has great feel, great IQ, can play out in the ball screen. So we're able to kind of plug and play him in different spots."
Malovec finished with 16 points and was one of the players Lucas mentioned he needed to get on the floor more, but because of his international experience, it would take some time for him to adjust. Game after game, he has found a way to improve and get more minutes on the floor. He gives the Hurricanes another scoring option from outside, which they desperately need.
"It takes time," Malovec said. "I'm happy for those minutes. We are kind of banged up. We got some injuries, but I have to step up. I hope to do a good job, and we just have to wait for the guys to get back, and we keep taking good days and getting good days."
It was also another great defensive performance from the team. Even with the game tied at half, the Canes stifled the Eagles all afternoon. The second half was a masterclass of what the Hurricanes have been all season: elite on defense.
"Our zone was not great," Lucas said. "It was gonna be a tricky one regardless because he does a really good job of mixing things up and throwing different defenses, you know, his roster is built through his background. He's done a really good job of building his team to fit his personality, fit his identity. I felt the start of the game, they just played a lot harder than we did. And this is all part of growing up, all part of the process first noon game, first Saturday game, so you kind of know and expect what's coming. I wanted to see where we would be."
The Hurricanes will now go a week without playing. It is what they need most with so many players out and nursing injuries. They return on Saturday, Dec. 23, against LA-Monroe at noon Eastern.
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.