ST. LOUIS — Malik Reneau scored a game-high 24 points and seventh-seeded Miami used an 11-0 run late in the second half to take control in a 80-66 win over 10th-seeded Missouri in a first-round NCAA Tournament West Region game on Friday.
The Hurricanes (26-8) trailed 54-52 with 7:50 remaining after Mark Mitchell drilled a top-of-the-key 3-pointer, forcing first-year Miami coach Jai Lucas to use a timeout. Miami responded with the big run.
After Tru Washington sank two foul shots, Reneau dropped a pullup jumper and then splashed a 3-pointer.
Shelton Henderson finished the spurt with a transition dunk and a jumper for a 63-54 advantage at the 4:28 mark. While Missouri tried to rally behind Mitchell, who rattled off 13 straight points by his team, it wasn’t enough.
Reneau supplied the knockout punch via a three-point play that made it 71-62 with 2:17 left, enabling the Hurricanes to advance to a second-round game on Sunday against second-seeded Purdue. The Boilermakers routed Queens 104-71 in their tournament opener.
Tre Donaldson added 17 points for Miami, hitting a pair of late 3-pointers that complimented Reneau’s scoring in the endgame. Henderson chipped in with 15 points.
Jayden Stone scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half for the Tigers (20-13), while Mitchell finished with 19 but made only 4 of 10 shots and committed five turnovers. Anthony Robinson II came off the bench to add 11 points and five assists before fouling out with 56.3 seconds remaining.
Poor shooting and rebounding hurt Missouri’s chances of tapping into its sizable crowd advantage. The Tigers made only 20 of 57 attempts from the floor (35.1%) and were outrebounded 46-30. Miami grabbed 16 offensive boards and cashing them in for 19 points.
Both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the first half. The Tigers connected on just 9 of 29 shots (31%), while Miami made only 10 of 33 (30.3%). However, good work on the offensive glass helped the Hurricanes take a 27-17 lead.
Missouri rallied and closed within 27-26 entering halftime when Robinson swished a 3-pointer in the final minute.
–Bucky Dent, Field Level Media
