The Miami Hurricanes finished third in the Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational with a great victory over the Georgetown Hoyas.
Kissimmee, FL - The Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team sought to get back in the winning column after suffering another difficult defeat to a ranked opponent, the BYU Cougars, with a final score of 72-62. They had a chance to gain national respect by pulling a potential upset, but after a second-half mishap filled with inefficient offense and unstable free-throw shooting, all chances went out the window.
Cougars freshman forward AJ Dybantsa finished with 16 points, two assists, and a steal in 32 minutes, but only made five field goals out of 14 attempts.
No Hurricanes player reached 20 points and the defense didn't live up to Jai Lucas's standards. However, the team still had an opportunity to finish third in the Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational, which is an early-season Division 1 college basketball tournament.
They would go up against the Georgetown Hoyas, a former Big East opponent.
The starting lineups:
Hurricanes: Tre Donaldson-Tru Washington-Shelton Henderson-Malik Reneau-Ernest Udeh Jr.
Hoyas: Malik Mack-KJ Lewis-Caleb Williams-Isaiah Abraham-Julius Halaifonua
It was time for tipoff and Hurricanes junior guard Tru Washington was the first to punch the scoreboard with a floater. That was only the beginning as they went on a 16-3 run, with a couple of three-pointers from senior forward Malik Reneau to cap off the hot start.
However, the Hoyas responded with three three-pointers, two of which came from sophomore forward Caleb Williams, to cut the lead to single digits.
It was looking to be a competitive game until the Hurricanes responded quickly with a 14-2 run, which was led by senior guard Tre Donaldson. Afterwards, they didn't look back, finishing the first half with a three-pointer by Reneau to beat the buzzer, leading 41-20.
The Hoyas didn't have a single player reach double figures in scoring; meanwhile, Reneau had 19.
Throughout the beginning of the second half, the Hurricanes continued their dominance both offensively and defensively. It was a completely mirrored game compared to the Cougars' matchup 24 hours ago.
The Hoyas began applying full-court pressure, which had some successful moments against the Hurricanes, especially on an inbound pass by freshman Shelton Henderson, which resulted in a turnover and a three-pointer made by Williams, his fourth for the game.
The lead was cut below 20.
After Reneau scored his first field goal of the second half, Williams responded with his fifth three-pointer of the game from the right corner.
The Hoyas had sparked a 16-4 run to cut what was once a 24-point lead to 10. However, the battle was great, but not enough time in regulation to surpass the Hurricanes, who claim third place in the Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational with a final score of 78-65.
Reneau led the way, finishing with 23 points, four rebounds, two blocks, and a steal in 26 minutes. Washington bounced back after a sluggish offensive game against the Cougars, finishing with 17 points, six rebounds, four steals, and an assist in 28 minutes.
Donaldson followed up with 13 points, six assists, and four rebounds in 33 minutes.
The Hurricanes had 18 bench points, which were much-needed on the second night of a back-to-back. They will fly home with some confidence and prepare to face the Ole Miss Rebels on Tuesday night.
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