Field Level Media
Dec 4, 2020
Chris Lykes scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the first half, leading the Miami Hurricanes to an 82-60 win over the Stetson Hatters in a nonconference game Friday night in Coral Gables, Fla.
Lykes, who also had five assists and four rebounds, exited the game with 11:30 remaining after injuring his left ankle. He got hurt when he shot a jumper and came down on the foot of Stetson's GianCarlo Valdez. Lykes limped off the court and did not return.
Even so, Lykes, a preseason All-ACC player, made up for his poor shooting night (3-for-13) in Miami's season-opening win over North Florida. He made 5-of-9 against Stetson, including 3-of-5 on 3-pointers.
Miami (2-0), which never trailed and put together a 21-0 run that bridged the first and second halves, improved to 10-0 against Stetson since the Hurricanes revived their program in 1985.
Miami also got 17 points and a game-high 12 rebounds from guard Isaiah Wong. Matt Cross and Kameron McGusty had 11 points each.
Due to positive COVID-19 tests, Stetson (0-2) missed 28 of its 35 preseason practices. Given those issues, Stetson played well in the first half, trailing by just one point about 17 minutes into the game.
Leading the way for Stetson overall was Chase Johnston, who had 19 points. Mahamadou Diawara added 14 points and six rebounds.
However, Hatters guard Rob Perry, the Atlantic Sun's Freshman of the Year last season, was held to one point, missing all eight of his shots from the floor. He led the conference in 3-point shooting last season (42.6 percent), but he went 0-for-4 from distance against the Hurricanes.
Miami, hot early, got off to a 12-5 start, with Lykes getting eight points.
The Hurricanes then led by as many as 12 points, but a 12-2 Stetson run -- 3-pointers on three straight Hatters possessions - cut Miami's lead to 26-25 with 3:48 left in first half. Miami then responded with a 11-0 run, and the Hurricanes went into halftime with a 40-27 lead.
Miami's first half even included a three-pointer in his only attempt by sophomore center Anthony Walker, who shot 3-for-19 from distance last season.
Stetson never got closer than 14 points in the second half.
Miami's biggest advantages were on the boards (49-29 rebounding edge) and on free throws. Miami made 18-of-23 free throws. Stetson got just eight free throws, making three.
--Field Level Media