Men’s hoops wins exhibition, 85-52

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True freshman Durand Scott scored a game-high 17 points with five assists and five steals to lead the University of Miami men’s basketball team to an 85-52 exhibition win over visiting Florida Southern College on Monday evening at the BankUnited Center.

“It felt great,” said Scott after the game. “I was happy to be there and just wanted to go out there and have fun with my teammates. I wanted to get a feel for the guys - just to know how they play and how I can play with them, when to pass, who the shooters are, who runs well on the floor - so I know how to put myself in the right position to make them better.”

Scott converted 6-of-8 field goals and all four of his free throw attempts in his first action for the Hurricanes. Senior Cyrus McGowan added 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting - including a 2-of-3 mark from long range - and five rebounds, while senior Adrian Thomas contributed 12 points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting and five boards.

The Hurricanes broke the game open with a 19-4 run over a six minute, 32 second span in the first half. Four points from sophomore Julian Gamble and three-pointers from Thomas and freshman Antoine Allen helped fuel the run in which eight different Hurricanes scored.

Miami led by as many as 36 points in the game. A McGowan trey followed by back-to-back dunks by the lanky senior sparked a 16-3 run, pushing the Hurricanes lead to 56-32 with 14:25 remaining in the contest. The home team didn’t let up, as four-straight Allen points and a Thomas trey pushed Miami’s lead to 30 points, up 69-39 with 8:35 to go.

“Obviously I thought we played much better in the second half,” said sixth-year head coach Frank Haith. “Defense was good most of the night. Florida Southern is a really good basketball team - one of the top Division II programs in the country. You look across the country and you see some Division II teams beating Division I teams. Our young kids - first time out the box - looked a little nervous there early on, but it was great to see us get ourselves in rhythm.”

In his debut in a Hurricane uniform, redshirt sophomore Malcolm Grant knocked down a three-pointer on Miami’s first possession. A block - the first of a game-high five - by senior Dwayne Collins, followed by a McGowan layup and a Gamble dunk put the Hurricanes up, 7-4.

Despite losing the ACC’s leading three-point shooter in Jack McClinton, Miami was successful from long range, shooting 41.7 percent. Thomas led the perimeter attack with four three-pointers and McGowan, Scott, Allen, Dews and Grant also knocked down shots from downtown.

All but one Miami player scored in the exhibition contest.

The Hurricanes - who went 19-13 last season, advancing to the second round of the NIT - opened their last two seasons versus the Division II Moccasins and used Monday’s game as a final tune up before their 2009-10 season-opener at home on Saturday versus North Carolina Central at 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on Sun Sports.

Florida Southern, ranked eighth in the NABC Division II preseason poll, went 29-7 last season en route to its second-straight Sunshine State Conference championship. The Moccasins dropped their previous exhibition game to USF, 110-79, despite having four scorers in double figures. Miami held all but one Moc to single digits, as junior Brandon Jenkins led the visitors with 14 points and five rebounds.

POSTGAME QUOTES

Miami Head Coach Frank Haith

Opening Statement

“Obviously I thought we played much better in the second half. Defense was good most of the night. Florida Southern is a really good basketball team - one of the top Division II programs in the country. You look across the country and you see some Division II teams beating Division I teams. Our young kids - first time out the box - looked a little nervous there early on, but it was great to see us get ourselves in rhythm. And obviously this young man here [Durand Scott] played great.”

On what you want from an exhibition game…

“You want to get have your guys get their feet wet playing in front of people. We want to play well too. I thought defensively our activity was good. Our offensive rebounding - they got some balls early in the game because we weren’t blocking out. There are a lot of things you want to be able to look at and go to work tomorrow and try to dissect, and let our guys look at it and hopefully get better at it.”

On freshman Durand Scott’s performance… “He was outstanding. He was all over the place - five steals, five assists, 17 points - just a complete allaround game. Only one turnover… He hopefully has more nights more like tonight.

“He has great instincts, a great feel. Defense - you have to be a thinker, but Durand is in the right place, therefore he gets his hands on a lot of balls. He has great instincts. We need some of our other guys to pick up those instincts, but I think that’s one of his strengths. I think Durand - and I’ve said this all along - is a good all-around player. He’s a winner - and that’s what I like about him the most.”

On how quickly some of the players have to grow up…

“By Saturday. [laughter] I think we need the young guys to have some impact. I like this core group of guys. I think we have some depth, and I was pleased with how we played tonight.”

Freshman G Durand Scott

On his first game…

“It felt great. I was happy to be there and just wanted to go out there and have fun with my teammates. I wanted to get a feel for the guys - just to know how they play and how I can play with them, when to pass, who the shooters are, who runs well on the floor - so I know how to put myself in the right position to make them better.”

On his defensive play…

“My whole life, every coach in my life since I was nine years old and started playing basketball preached defense to me. I think that’s why I take pride in my defense before I take pride in my offense.”

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