No. 12 Miami stays unbeaten at 4-0, tops Georgia in Baha Mar Bahamas tournament
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) Miami coach Jim Larrañaga and his staff noticed the trend during the preseason. Whenever a scrimmage would take place, there was always one side that would string a bunch of baskets consecutively together.
“Spurtability,” Larrañaga calls it.
It has carried over to the regular season - and the Hurricanes brought it to the Bahamas, too.
Matthew Cleveland scored 18 points, Nijel Pack added 16 and No. 12 Miami topped Georgia 79-68 on Friday in the opening round of the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship. A 12-0 run in the first half - Miami's sixth double-digit unanswered scoring burst so far this season - helped put the Hurricanes in control.
“At any time throughout the game, this Miami team is capable of reeling off a bunch of points in a hurry,” Georgia coach Mike White said. “And you know, you watch it on TV last spring, you watch it on film here over these past few days, now seeing it live, it really hits home how good these guys are offensively.”
Wooga Poplar finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Hurricanes (4-0), who are coming off a Final Four run last season. Bensley Joseph also scored 13 for Miami, and Norchad Omier battled through foul trouble to score 11.
Blue Cain scored 18 for Georgia (2-2), and Noah Thomasson added 14 and Jabri Abdur-Rahim finished with 13 for the Bulldogs. Georgia fell to 5-22 over the last five years against opponents ranked in the AP Top 25.
But for the first 10 minutes, it sure looked like the Bulldogs had a chance to change that.
Cain had seven points in a 10-0 run that put Georgia up 19-11 midway through the first half, and after Miami rallied, he hit a 3-pointer with 5:25 left before intermission to put the Bulldogs up 26-24.
By then, though, Miami had hit its best stride. And Georgia wouldn't lead again.
“I thought we did a decent job playing with a ton of energy defensively,” White said. “I thought we played really, really hard. Obviously, we’ve got to be better offensively.”
Miami will play Kansas State on Sunday for the tournament title, while Georgia will meet Providence in the consolation game. Kansas State beat Providence 73-70 in the other game at Baha Mar on Friday.
The Hurricanes outscored Georgia 21-6 in the final 7:25 of the half to take a 39-29 lead into the break, the 12-0 run coming as part of that stretch. The lead eventually reached 20 on two occasions in the second half, and Miami's margin was double figures for the final 18:23.
In the opener against NJIT, Miami had scoring runs of 21-0 and 10-0. Against UCF, the big run was 11-0. In the comeback win over crosstown rival FIU earlier this week, Miami needed runs of 14-0 and 19-0 to pull out a six-point win. And the 12-0 run on Friday now gets added to that list.
“Overall, a great, great team effort,” Larrañaga said.
BIG PICTURE
Georgia: The Bulldogs are going to be battle-tested when they get into their Southeastern Conference slate of games that start Jan. 6. Georgia is opening the season with four of its first five games against Power 5 schools; four of its first nine games are against ACC schools.
Miami: It's a 4-0 start for the second consecutive season for the Hurricanes. The last time that happened was 2017-18 (10-0) and 2018-19 (5-0), when Miami finished off a run of five consecutive seasons starting at least 4-0. The Hurricanes have led for 139 of a possible 160 minutes so far this season, while trailing for only 15 of those minutes.
UP NEXT
Georgia: Faces Providence on Sunday.
Miami: Faces Kansas State on Sunday.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:00 | Norchad Omier vs. Russel Tchewa (Hurricanes gains possession) | |||
19:45 | Norchad Omier misses three point jump shot | |||
19:43 | Silas Demary Jr. defensive rebound | |||
19:19 | Jabri Abdur-Rahim misses two point layup | |||
19:17 | Norchad Omier defensive rebound | |||
19:00 | Wooga Poplar misses three point jump shot | |||
18:58 | Silas Demary Jr. defensive rebound | |||
18:50 | RJ Melendez misses three point jump shot | |||
18:48 | Norchad Omier defensive rebound | |||
18:31 | Nijel Pack turnover (out of bounds) | |||
18:11 | Russel Tchewa turnover (Bensley Joseph steals) | |||
18:06 | +2 | Matthew Cleveland makes two point layup (Bensley Joseph assists) | 2-0 | |
17:58 | Jabri Abdur-Rahim misses three point jump shot | |||
17:56 | Russel Tchewa offensive rebound | |||
17:48 | Russel Tchewa misses two point layup | |||
17:46 | Wooga Poplar defensive rebound | |||
17:41 | Bensley Joseph misses three point jump shot | |||
17:39 | Russel Tchewa defensive rebound | |||
17:17 | Russel Tchewa misses two point jump shot | |||
17:15 | Nijel Pack defensive rebound | |||
17:11 | Matthew Cleveland misses three point jump shot | |||
17:09 | Nijel Pack offensive rebound | |||
17:02 | Wooga Poplar misses two point jump shot | |||
17:00 | Silas Demary Jr. defensive rebound | |||
16:52 | Silas Demary Jr. misses two point layup | |||
16:50 | Norchad Omier defensive rebound | |||
16:42 | +3 | Norchad Omier makes three point jump shot | 5-0 | |
16:23 | +3 | Noah Thomasson makes three point jump shot | 5-3 | |
16:00 | +2 | Norchad Omier makes two point dunk (Nijel Pack assists) | 7-3 | |
15:43 | +2 | Noah Thomasson makes two point jump shot | 7-5 | |
15:32 | Norchad Omier misses three point jump shot | |||
15:30 | Russel Tchewa defensive rebound | |||
15:23 | +2 | RJ Melendez makes two point layup (Silas Demary Jr. assists) | 7-7 | |
15:07 | Wooga Poplar misses three point jump shot | |||
15:05 | Silas Demary Jr. defensive rebound | |||
14:59 | +2 | Silas Demary Jr. makes two point layup | 7-9 | |
14:38 | Norchad Omier misses two point layup | |||
14:36 | Matthew Cleveland offensive rebound | |||
14:32 | +2 | Matthew Cleveland makes two point layup | 9-9 | |
14:23 | Noah Thomasson misses three point jump shot | |||
14:21 | Norchad Omier defensive rebound | |||
14:07 | Nijel Pack misses three point jump shot | |||
14:05 | RJ Melendez defensive rebound | |||
13:47 | Noah Thomasson misses two point jump shot | |||
13:45 | Matthew Cleveland defensive rebound | |||
13:37 | RJ Melendez shooting foul (Wooga Poplar draws the foul) | |||
13:38 | TV timeout | |||
13:37 | +1 | Wooga Poplar makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 10-9 | |
13:37 | +1 | Wooga Poplar makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 11-9 | |
13:11 | Jalen DeLoach misses two point jump shot | |||
13:09 | Wooga Poplar defensive rebound | |||
13:01 | Wooga Poplar misses two point layup | |||
12:59 | Justin Hill defensive rebound | |||
12:55 | +2 | Blue Cain makes two point layup (Justin Hill assists) | 11-11 | |
12:40 | Norchad Omier misses two point jump shot | |||
12:38 | Silas Demary Jr. defensive rebound | |||
12:32 | +2 | Blue Cain makes two point layup (Silas Demary Jr. assists) | 11-13 | |
12:05 | Wooga Poplar misses three point jump shot | |||
12:03 | Justin Hill defensive rebound | |||
11:57 | +3 | Blue Cain makes three point jump shot | 11-16 | |
11:33 | Nijel Pack misses two point jump shot | |||
11:31 | Jalen DeLoach defensive rebound | |||
11:08 | +3 | Silas Demary Jr. makes three point jump shot | 11-19 | |
10:52 | Dylan James shooting foul (Norchad Omier draws the foul) | |||
10:52 | TV timeout | |||
10:52 | +1 | Norchad Omier makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 12-19 | |
10:52 | +1 | Norchad Omier makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 13-19 | |
10:37 | Jalen DeLoach misses two point layup | |||
10:35 | Matthew Cleveland defensive rebound | |||
10:05 | +3 | Matthew Cleveland makes three point jump shot (AJ Casey assists) | 16-19 | |
9:51 | Justin Hill misses two point layup | |||
9:49 | Wooga Poplar defensive rebound | |||
9:43 | Jalen DeLoach blocks Wooga Poplar's two point layup | |||
9:43 | Hurricanes offensive rebound | |||
9:38 | AJ Casey misses three point jump shot | |||
9:36 | Jabri Abdur-Rahim defensive rebound | |||
9:17 | Nijel Pack shooting foul (Noah Thomasson draws the foul) | |||
9:17 | +1 | Noah Thomasson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 16-20 | |
9:17 | Noah Thomasson misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
9:17 | Noah Thomasson offensive rebound | |||
9:12 | AJ Casey personal foul (Russel Tchewa draws the foul) | |||
9:07 | Matthew Cleveland personal foul | |||
9:05 | Jabri Abdur-Rahim misses three point jump shot | |||
9:03 | Russel Tchewa offensive rebound | |||
8:58 | Russel Tchewa misses two point jump shot | |||
8:56 | AJ Casey defensive rebound | |||
8:55 | Russel Tchewa personal foul | |||
8:33 | +2 | Matthew Cleveland makes two point layup (Norchad Omier assists) | 18-20 | |
8:06 | +3 | Noah Thomasson makes three point jump shot | 18-23 | |
7:48 | Nijel Pack misses three point jump shot | |||
7:46 | Russel Tchewa defensive rebound | |||
7:30 | Norchad Omier blocks RJ Melendez's two point layup | |||
7:28 | Nijel Pack defensive rebound | |||
7:25 | Jabri Abdur-Rahim shooting foul (Nijel Pack draws the foul) | |||
7:25 | TV timeout | |||
7:25 | +1 | Nijel Pack makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 19-23 | |
7:25 | +1 | Nijel Pack makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 20-23 | |
7:03 | Noah Thomasson misses three point jump shot | |||
7:01 | Hurricanes defensive rebound | |||
6:39 | +2 | Matthew Cleveland makes two point jump shot (Bensley Joseph assists) | 22-23 | |
6:27 | Russel Tchewa turnover (traveling) | |||
6:09 | Matthew Cleveland misses two point jump shot | |||
6:07 | Matthew Cleveland offensive rebound | |||
6:03 | +2 | Matthew Cleveland makes two point layup | 24-23 | |
5:55 | Blue Cain turnover (bad pass) | |||
5:39 | Matthew Cleveland misses two point jump shot | |||
5:38 | Norchad Omier personal foul | |||
5:23 | +3 | Blue Cain makes three point jump shot (Silas Demary Jr. assists) | 24-26 | |
5:04 | Bensley Joseph misses two point jump shot | |||
5:02 | Bensley Joseph offensive rebound | |||
4:58 | +3 | Wooga Poplar makes three point jump shot (Bensley Joseph assists) | 27-26 | |
4:44 | Silas Demary Jr. turnover (bad pass) | |||
4:37 | Blue Cain personal foul | |||
4:20 | +3 | Nijel Pack makes three point jump shot | 30-26 | |
4:10 | Silas Demary Jr. turnover (lost ball) (Nijel Pack steals) | |||
4:06 | Norchad Omier misses two point layup | |||
4:03 | Nijel Pack offensive rebound | |||
4:03 | +2 | Wooga Poplar makes two point layup | 32-26 | |
4:03 | Jalen DeLoach shooting foul (Wooga Poplar draws the foul) | |||
4:03 | +1 | Wooga Poplar makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 33-26 | |
3:46 | Silas Demary Jr. misses two point layup | |||
3:44 | Nijel Pack defensive rebound | |||
3:38 | +3 | Bensley Joseph makes three point jump shot | 36-26 | |
3:36 | Bulldogs 30 second timeout | |||
3:36 | TV timeout | |||
3:22 | Jabri Abdur-Rahim misses three point jump shot | |||
3:20 | Wooga Poplar defensive rebound | |||
3:04 | Wooga Poplar turnover (lost ball) | |||
2:57 | Jabri Abdur-Rahim offensive foul | |||
2:57 | Jabri Abdur-Rahim turnover (offensive foul) | |||
2:43 | Nijel Pack misses three point jump shot | |||
2:41 | Silas Demary Jr. defensive rebound | |||
2:32 | Silas Demary Jr. misses three point jump shot | |||
2:30 | Wooga Poplar defensive rebound | |||
2:16 | Jalen DeLoach personal foul | |||
2:16 | Norchad Omier misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
2:16 | Blue Cain defensive rebound | |||
1:57 | Blue Cain misses three point jump shot | |||
1:55 | Bensley Joseph defensive rebound | |||
1:48 | Bensley Joseph misses two point jump shot | |||
1:46 | Silas Demary Jr. defensive rebound | |||
1:39 | Bensley Joseph shooting foul (Silas Demary Jr. draws the foul) | |||
1:39 | Silas Demary Jr. misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
1:39 | +1 | Silas Demary Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 36-27 | |
1:18 | Wooga Poplar misses three point jump shot | |||
1:16 | RJ Melendez defensive rebound | |||
1:12 | Norchad Omier shooting foul (RJ Melendez draws the foul) | |||
1:12 | +1 | RJ Melendez makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 36-28 | |
1:12 | +1 | RJ Melendez makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 36-29 | |
0:50 | Matthew Cleveland misses three point jump shot | |||
0:48 | Silas Demary Jr. defensive rebound | |||
0:43 | RJ Melendez misses three point jump shot | |||
0:41 | Wooga Poplar defensive rebound | |||
0:38 | Hurricanes 30 second timeout | |||
0:18 | +2 | Nijel Pack makes two point layup | 38-29 | |
0:18 | RJ Melendez shooting foul (Nijel Pack draws the foul) | |||
0:18 | +1 | Nijel Pack makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 39-29 | |
0:00 | Noah Thomasson turnover (lost ball) (Bensley Joseph steals) | |||
0:00 | End of period |