Field Level Media
Dec 19, 2020
Isaiah Wong scored 15 of his game-high and season-high 25 points in the first half, leading the host Miami Hurricanes to a 73-64 win over the Jacksonville Dolphins in a non-conference game on Saturday afternoon.
Wong also had nine rebounds and fell two shy of his career high in points.
Miami (4-2), which snapped a two-game losing streak, also got 18 points and 10 rebounds from Anthony Walker, who notched his second straight double-double.
Jacksonville (6-3), which had its three-game winning streak broken, got 19 points from Dontarius James, a 6-8 junior forward. James scored Jacksonville's first eight points, including a banked-in three-pointer from the top of the key. But he fouled out with 7:55 left in the second half, falling just short of his fourth straight 20-point game.
Bryce Workman, who did not play in the first half, scored 14 points for Jacksonville before he, too, fouled out.
The Hurricanes, who entered the game with the worst free-throw percentage in the ACC (62.2), made their first 12 shots from the foul line. They finished the game shooting 84 percent (21-for-25).
Due to injuries, the Hurricanes were still without two of their top three scorers, guards Chris Lykes and Kameron McGusty. Backup center Rodney Miller came back from injury but got hurt again on his first possession and did not return.
On the positive side for Miami, Earl Timberlake, one of the nation's top-40 freshmen, made his collegiate debut after missing the past two weeks due to shoulder and ankle injuries. He was impressive with his court vision, getting 12 points, five rebounds and two assists.
The Hurricanes, thanks to a 3-pointer by Harlond Beverly just before the buzzer, led 37-26 at halftime. Miami's lead was generated mostly from the foul line, where the Canes shot 10-for-10. Jacksonville shot 0-for-3 from the foul line.
Jacksonville, which had trailed by as many as 14 points, cut its deficit to three at 61-58 with 6:12 left. But the Dolphins never got any closer.
Miami finished with. a 49-26 rebounding advantage and outscored Jacksonville by 17 points at the foul line.
--Field Level Media