Miami’s Malik Reneau, Ernest Udeh Jr. and Trey Donaldson recorded double-doubles as the surging Hurricanes won their fourth straight game by grounding the visiting UL Monroe Warhawks 104-79 on Saturday afternoon.
Reneau went for 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Donaldson totaled 18 points, 11 assists and six rebounds.
Udeh posted 14 points and a season-high 15 rebounds as the Hurricanes (9-2) shot 60 percent from the field (42 of 70), including 11 of 25 from long range.
Tru Washington scored 15 points, and Timotej Malovec had 12 on four three-pointers. Noam Dovrat netted 10 points.
MJ Russell put up 18 points for UL Monroe (3-8). Krystian Lewis had 15 points, and Renars Sondors tallied 14. Lavell Brodnex totaled 11 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists.
The Warhawks were outscored 62-22 in the paint.
Miami ran out to a strong start and owned the game’s first three minutes, leading 9-0. However, the Warhawks rallied with a 9-2 run, as Sondors scored five to trim the deficit to 11-9 at 15:36.
With 13:05 remaining in the first half, Russell drained a long three-pointer to knot it 17-all, but Reneau’s 6-foot-9 presence around the basket continued to be a handful for the Sun Belt school.
His layup off a pass from Donaldson with four minutes left gave Miami a 38-29 advantage, and Washington’s layup increased the lead to 10 with 2:32 to go.
With 1:29 remaining, Shelton Henderson, who scored nine points, went down with an injury to his left leg, had to be helped to the locker room by the training staff and was ruled out for the remainder.
After Lewis rolled in his second long ball, Washington answered with one from the left wing as the Hurricanes held a 49-38 lead by shooting 61 percent (23 of 38) and tallying 42 points in the paint.
Inside the second half’s first four minutes, Malovec stroked back-to-back treys for a 60-47 Miami edge, but Russell answered by driving the lane on a thunderous dunk.
Washington put Miami up 86-65 with a layup at 7:56, and the Hurricanes reached the century mark in points for the third time on Dovrat’s second deep shot.
–Field Level Media
