CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Miami kept its nonconference hot streak going Saturday, beating Louisiana-Monroe, 104-79 at Watsco Center behind monster frontcourt production and a smooth, share-the-ball offense. Miami moved to 9-2, stretched its winning streak to four games and maintained a perfect 7-0 record at home.
All three frontcourt starters logged double-doubles. Malik Reneau led the Hurricanes with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Tre Donaldson piled up 18 points and 11 assists and Ernest Udeh Jr. delivered 14 points and 15 boards.
Jai Lucas’ group jumped out early, scoring the first nine points and smothering the Warhawks on opening possessions. ULM answered with a 17-8 surge fueled by MJ Russell’s hot shooting from deep and tied at 17 midway through the half. From that point, Reneau seized control around the rim, stacking layups and short jumpers while Donaldson started to find rhythm from the perimeter. Freshman wing Shelton Henderson gave the Canes an additional burst before the break, contributing nine points on 4-of-5 shooting and attacking the glass. Late in the first half he went down with an apparent left leg injury; trainers helped him to the bench and then to the locker room, and he never re-entered. Miami closed the half on an 11-4 run and carried a 49-38 cushion into the locker room.
After halftime, Miami never let Louisiana-Monroe sniff a comeback. The Hurricanes shot 60 percent from the field and 44 percent from 3-point range for the game, including a scorching 9-of-14 from deep in the second half. Six Canes reached double figures: along with the three double-double bigs, Tru Washington scored 13, Timotej Malovec drilled four 3-pointers for 12 and Noam Dovrat added 10 off the bench. Reserve forward Salih Altuntas chipped in six points and four rebounds in 15 high-energy minutes.
Miami’s size and motor controlled the glass all afternoon. The Hurricanes owned a 45-26 edge on the boards and a 62-22 advantage in paint points, overwhelming the Warhawks at the rim and in transition. Udeh and Reneau combined for 12 offensive rebounds, extending possessions and creating open threes for Donaldson, Malovec and Dovrat. Donaldson ran the show with poise and aggression, logging a career-best 11 assists and guiding an offense that finished with 27 assists on 42 made shots.
Russell led ULM with 18 points, while Krystian Lewis scored 15, Renars Sondors 14 and Dylan Diaz 12 on four made threes. The Warhawks shot 44.4 percent from the floor and 46.9 percent from beyond the arc, yet still trailed comfortably for most of the afternoon thanks to their issues on the glass and around the basket.
The win marks another dominant home nonconference outing for Miami, which has a three-game December stretch at Watsco Center. The Hurricanes host FIU on Tuesday night, then North Florida on Dec. 21 before opening ACC play against Pitt on Dec. 30.
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