Tre Donaldson posted 21 points, a game-high nine assists and three steals as host Miami defeated North Florida 105-67 on Sunday afternoon.
Also for Miami, Shelton Henderson scored 20 points on 7-for-9 shooting; Malik Reneau had 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting; and Ernest Udeh Jr. added a game-high 14 rebounds.
Miami, which finished last season 7-24, improved to 11-2 as it completed its nonconference schedule.
The Hurricanes have won six straight games, ahead of their ACC opener Dec. 30 against visiting Pittsburgh.
North Florida (2-10), led by Kamrin Oriol’s career-high-tying 29 points, has lost five straight games.
Oriol kept the game close early as he made his first five 3-point attempts while Miami missed its first four from deep. Oriol shot 8 of 14 overall, including a career-high 7 of 10 3-pointers.
Both teams featured first-year head coaches — Jai Lucas for the Hurricanes and Bobby Kennen for the Ospreys. Lucas completely overhauled Miami’s roster. Only Memphis and Baylor did the same after last season.
North Florida played well early, leading 3-0 and 8-7 on 3-pointers by Oriol and Dalton Gayman.
Miami surged ahead by attacking the paint. By halftime, Miami led 51-35 as the Hurricanes built a 34-6 edge on points in the paint.
Also in the first half, Miami had a 21-11 edge on rebounds and a 16-3 advantage on fastbreak points. North Florida dominated from the outside, making 8 of 14 3-pointers. Miami shot 3 of 9 on 3-pointers.
Oriol led all first-half scorers with 20 points in 19 minutes on 6-for-9 shooting, including all five of his 3-point attempts.
Henderson led Miami with 13 points at the break.
The Hurricanes were never challenged in the second half as Miami improved to 8-0 all-time against the Ospreys.
North Florida is 0-7 on the road this season.
For the game, Miami shot 56.7% from the floor, including 9 of 25 on 3-pointers. Miami had a 44-24 edge on rebounds, a 54-18 advantage on paint points and a 27-5 advantage on fastbreak points.
North Florida shot 38% overall, including 11 of 31 3-pointers.
Miami reached 100 points for the fourth time this season. In the previous 20 years, Miami reached the century mark just four times.
–Field Level Media
