The Miami Hurricanes rolled into the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday with something to prove-and they didn’t waste any time showing it. Coming off back-to-back losses, the Hurricanes came out firing, opened the game on a 9-0 run, and never trailed en route to an 85-76 win over Syracuse. It was the kind of response head coach Jai Lucas had been hoping for.
“Winning on the road is always hard, especially in this environment, which is one of the most historic in college basketball,” Lucas said postgame. “This was a big win for us just because we're coming off two losses and we needed something to be back on the right side.”
Miami’s energy was evident from the jump. They got a dunk from Shelton Henderson to open the scoring, followed by a three from Reneau, a dunk by Ernest Udeh, and a layup by Tru Washington. Just like that, it was 9-0, and the Hurricanes were off and running.
Reneau led the way with 20 points and 11 rebounds, notching his sixth double-double of the season. He shot 8-of-12 from the field and added five assists, overcoming seven turnovers in a performance that showcased both his versatility and resilience.
Henderson and Tre Donaldson each added 16 points, while Washington chipped in with 14. Donaldson, who came off the bench, made a major impact in the second half-scoring nine points and dishing out five assists without committing a foul and turning it over just once. His corner three capped a 10-1 Miami run that pushed the lead to 69-56 and gave the Hurricanes the cushion they needed down the stretch.
Syracuse didn’t go quietly. The Orange clawed back to tie it at 27, highlighted by a thunderous fast-break dunk from Kiyan Anthony over Washington.
But Miami answered immediately with a 7-0 burst and took a 41-36 lead into halftime. That’s been a good sign for the ‘Canes all year-they’re now 12-1 when leading at the break.
The Hurricanes were dialed in offensively all night, shooting a blistering 61.1% from the field (33-of-54), including 64.3% in the second half. Syracuse shot a respectable 49.2% (30-of-61), but Miami’s efficiency and ability to execute in key moments made the difference.
One of those key moments came when Syracuse switched to a zone defense-a look that’s given plenty of teams trouble over the years. Miami initially struggled against it, particularly in the first half when Reneau racked up several of his turnovers. But Lucas said the team settled in and made the necessary adjustments.
“We’ve seen a lot of zone the whole year, so we’re really familiar with playing against it,” Lucas said. “We just had to make sure we got the ball in the middle.
We weren’t making the right reads at first, and I thought in the first half, Malik wasn’t-and that’s how he ends up with seven turnovers. But once we figured it out, relaxed, took a deep breath, we were able to do it.”
The win was Miami’s fifth in the last six meetings with Syracuse and improved their record to 16-4 overall, 5-2 in ACC play. That 16-4 mark through 20 games matches the 2022-23 and 2015-16 teams for the third-best start since 2000, trailing only the 2001-02 (18-2) and 2012-13 (17-3) squads.
Syracuse, meanwhile, has now dropped three straight and sits at 12-8 overall, 3-4 in the ACC.
For Miami, the focus now turns to building on this momentum. Lucas emphasized the importance of tempo and composure down the stretch-two things his team managed well in a hostile environment.
“It’s important for me, especially in this game, to keep it up-tempo, but also slow it down as much as I could before we needed to execute and win,” Lucas said. “I’m just excited we ended up being able to pull away at the end.”
Up Next: Miami returns home to host Stanford on Wednesday night (9:00 p.m. ET, ACCN).