Resilient Hurricanes Rally Past Pitt to Open ACC Play with Statement Win
The Miami Hurricanes didn’t just win their ACC opener-they battled, adjusted, and imposed their will in the second half to take down Pittsburgh 76-69 at the Watsco Center. It was a game that tested their depth, their poise, and their identity-and by the final buzzer, it was clear this team has the tools to make some real noise in conference play.
Things started brightly for Miami, who jumped out to a 25-15 lead behind an aggressive offensive push led by Malik Reneau. But just as quickly as they caught fire, the offense went ice cold.
The Hurricanes went more than six minutes without scoring, and Pitt took full advantage. The Panthers surged with a 20-0 run, slicing through Miami’s defense and shooting a red-hot 53% from the field and nearly 42% from deep in the first half.
Cameron Corhen and Barry Dunning Jr. were nearly unstoppable, combining for 23 points on just two missed shots.
By halftime, the Hurricanes were staring at a 10-point deficit and a whole lot of questions. Reneau had only played 10 minutes due to early foul trouble.
Tre Donaldson and Shelton Henderson were also limited with two fouls apiece. The momentum was all Pitt’s, and the Hurricanes looked like they might get run out of their own gym.
But this Miami team, under first-year head coach Jai Lucas, didn’t flinch.
“I knew we were struggling a little bit, but I never felt like we were out of it,” Lucas said postgame. That belief proved contagious.
Miami came out of the locker room with a different energy-especially in the backcourt. Donaldson and Tru Washington sparked a 9-2 run to open the second half, slicing into the lead and forcing a Pitt timeout. Within six minutes, the Hurricanes had flipped the script and reclaimed the lead.
Donaldson, who went 0-for-5 in the first half, turned into a second-half force. He scored 17 points after the break, attacking the lane, dishing to teammates, and playing with the kind of confidence that can shift a game.
“Confidence. It’s what I do,” Donaldson said.
“My guys trust me. When they’re open, I’m going to get it for them no matter where it’s at.”
While Donaldson lit it up on the perimeter, Reneau returned to the floor and went to work inside. With foul trouble behind him, he logged 19 of 20 second-half minutes and matched Donaldson’s 17 points after halftime. Together, the duo accounted for 34 of Miami’s 43 second-half points-a one-two punch that Pitt simply couldn’t contain.
That offensive explosion was only part of the story. Miami also locked in on the defensive end.
After giving up open looks in the first half, the Hurricanes held Pitt to just 36.7% shooting in the second and allowed only one made three-pointer on 13 attempts. They also cleaned up the fouling issues, sending Pitt to the line just six times in the second half after 11 attempts before halftime.
“That’s why you go find guys in the portal who’ve played big-time basketball in big environments,” Lucas said, pointing to the veteran presence of players like Donaldson and Reneau.
Even with the Hurricanes surging, Pitt didn’t fold. The Panthers briefly regained the lead, and the two teams traded blows with four lead changes in the second half. But with just under seven minutes to play, Miami made its final push.
Reneau’s putback layup sparked the run, and then Donaldson took over-scoring nine straight points to give Miami a six-point cushion. From there, the Hurricanes held firm, closing out the win with strong execution and timely stops.
It was a gutsy, grind-it-out kind of win-the kind that reveals a team’s identity. For Miami, that identity is becoming clearer: physical play, rebounding, and toughness in the paint.
“A big part of us is going to be our offensive rebounding,” Lucas said. “It’s always going to be our points in the paint.
We did a great job tonight of free throws. We saw that was the difference.”
Indeed, Miami’s ability to stay aggressive without fouling, to dominate the interior, and to lean on experienced playmakers when it mattered most-all of it came together in a second-half performance that should turn some heads around the ACC.
Next up, the Hurricanes hit the road to face Wake Forest on January 7. If this game was any indication, Miami’s ready for the battles ahead.