Shelton Henderson scored 30 points to lead the Miami men’s basketball team over FIU, 98-81, Tuesday night at the Watsco Center.
Henderson was efficient from the floor, shooting 10-of-12 from the floor and 10-of-11 from the charity stripe. The Houston, Texas, native hauled in five rebounds and dished out a pair of assists to go with a steal and a block.
The two teams were deadlocked after the first 20 minutes at 43-43 in a back-and-forth affair that featured seven ties and five lead changes. With the game tied at 6-6, the Hurricanes (10-2) went on a 9-0 to take a 15-6 lead.
FIU (5-4) continued to chip away at the lead and tied the game at 34-34 before taking a 40-35 advantage with just under three and a half minutes left.
The Hurricanes tied the game on a Malik Reneau bucket and a pair of free throws and a layup by Shelton Henderson moments before the buzzer.
Miami regained the lead within the first four minutes of the second half, 56-48, led by Tru Washington’s six points and a corner 3-pointer from Timo Malovec that forced FIU to call a timeout.
Miami’s built its lead to 12 before FIU countered with a 7-0 run to trim the lead to five. The Hurricanes extended their lead on a 12-4 run to lead, 80-66, as Tre Donaldson hit a 3-pointer and a jumper, his first points of the game.
Reneau finished the game with 22 points, his eighth game with 20-or-more points, to go along with six rebounds while Donaldson recorded his third-straight double-double with 10 points and 12 assists. Ernest Udeh Jr. registered 12 points and a game-high eight rebounds as Washington tallied 13 points.
The Hurricanes finished the game shooting 53.8-percent from the floor and outscored the Panthers, 54-42, in the paint.
Miami closes out its non-conference slate Sunday as the Hurricanes take North Florida at 4 p.m. inside the Watsco Center.
Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Jai Lucas
Opening statement…
“I think they’re going to shock a lot of people. I think (Coach) Ballard has done a really good job, especially getting people that fit his personality and play to his style. I’ve gotten to know him over the last couple of years, we both work in the same circles, so we’ve been friendly. He’s a great coach. In my eight years following them, I think this is the best team he’s had. They’ve got an identity this year, and I think they have a chance to really build something.”
On responding to adversity…
“We needed a game like this because we really haven’t dealt with a lot of game pressure or adversity. We knew we had an opponent that was going to punch back, even when we made runs, they did too. I was actually excited about how the first half went because I wanted to see how our guys would respond. We need opportunities like this to grow and get ready for the ACC.”
Shelton Henderson, Forward, Freshman
On what happened with the injury and how he felt tonight…
“I hurt something in my heel, but I feel good now. I probably could’ve kept playing, but we didn’t want to risk anything further. Tonight, I just felt like I needed to go in there and play my game. I got into a good rhythm, and my teammates did a great job finding me when I had opportunities. They trusted me, and it ended up being a good win for us.”
On operating comfortably in the post and his versatility as a scorer and playmaker…
“I think that’s my main thing, being versatile. I can do more than one thing on the court, whether that’s playmaking, getting downhill, or just guarding. One of the main things I’m looking for is my teammates, because I know people are going to collapse when I get in the game. So the kick-outs are going to be there, guys are going to be open, and when they’re making shots, it makes it easier for me to get down there and finish. That’s what I’m really looking for. Just playing the game, finding my guys, and letting them make the play.”
Malik Reneau, Forward, Senior
On being a Miami guy and getting a win against a hometown team…
“Yeah, I mean, they recruited me super early, when I was in seventh grade. So it’s cool to get a win against them. I’ve been around them over the years, and I saw some familiar faces on that team from being down south. I didn’t really have too many relationships with the coaches or anything like that, but it was a good one for us.”
On what Coach Lucas said at halftime…
“He wasn’t really mad. He was just saying it’s a game. They’re a great mid-major school, and they’ve had good games against LSU and teams like that. They came out with fire and they’re only 20 minutes away from us. They really wanted this one bad. So we knew we had to come out in the second half with that same fire and jump on them early to stop their momentum, especially after how they owned the first half. Just getting out there those first four minutes, getting on them early, and then maintaining it and continuing to build the lead from there.”
Henderson was efficient from the floor, shooting 10-of-12 from the floor and 10-of-11 from the charity stripe. The Houston, Texas, native hauled in five rebounds and dished out a pair of assists to go with a steal and a block.
The two teams were deadlocked after the first 20 minutes at 43-43 in a back-and-forth affair that featured seven ties and five lead changes. With the game tied at 6-6, the Hurricanes (10-2) went on a 9-0 to take a 15-6 lead.
FIU (5-4) continued to chip away at the lead and tied the game at 34-34 before taking a 40-35 advantage with just under three and a half minutes left.
The Hurricanes tied the game on a Malik Reneau bucket and a pair of free throws and a layup by Shelton Henderson moments before the buzzer.
Miami regained the lead within the first four minutes of the second half, 56-48, led by Tru Washington’s six points and a corner 3-pointer from Timo Malovec that forced FIU to call a timeout.
Miami’s built its lead to 12 before FIU countered with a 7-0 run to trim the lead to five. The Hurricanes extended their lead on a 12-4 run to lead, 80-66, as Tre Donaldson hit a 3-pointer and a jumper, his first points of the game.
Reneau finished the game with 22 points, his eighth game with 20-or-more points, to go along with six rebounds while Donaldson recorded his third-straight double-double with 10 points and 12 assists. Ernest Udeh Jr. registered 12 points and a game-high eight rebounds as Washington tallied 13 points.
The Hurricanes finished the game shooting 53.8-percent from the floor and outscored the Panthers, 54-42, in the paint.
Miami closes out its non-conference slate Sunday as the Hurricanes take North Florida at 4 p.m. inside the Watsco Center.
Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Jai Lucas
Opening statement…
“I think they’re going to shock a lot of people. I think (Coach) Ballard has done a really good job, especially getting people that fit his personality and play to his style. I’ve gotten to know him over the last couple of years, we both work in the same circles, so we’ve been friendly. He’s a great coach. In my eight years following them, I think this is the best team he’s had. They’ve got an identity this year, and I think they have a chance to really build something.”
On responding to adversity…
“We needed a game like this because we really haven’t dealt with a lot of game pressure or adversity. We knew we had an opponent that was going to punch back, even when we made runs, they did too. I was actually excited about how the first half went because I wanted to see how our guys would respond. We need opportunities like this to grow and get ready for the ACC.”
Shelton Henderson, Forward, Freshman
On what happened with the injury and how he felt tonight…
“I hurt something in my heel, but I feel good now. I probably could’ve kept playing, but we didn’t want to risk anything further. Tonight, I just felt like I needed to go in there and play my game. I got into a good rhythm, and my teammates did a great job finding me when I had opportunities. They trusted me, and it ended up being a good win for us.”
On operating comfortably in the post and his versatility as a scorer and playmaker…
“I think that’s my main thing, being versatile. I can do more than one thing on the court, whether that’s playmaking, getting downhill, or just guarding. One of the main things I’m looking for is my teammates, because I know people are going to collapse when I get in the game. So the kick-outs are going to be there, guys are going to be open, and when they’re making shots, it makes it easier for me to get down there and finish. That’s what I’m really looking for. Just playing the game, finding my guys, and letting them make the play.”
Malik Reneau, Forward, Senior
On being a Miami guy and getting a win against a hometown team…
“Yeah, I mean, they recruited me super early, when I was in seventh grade. So it’s cool to get a win against them. I’ve been around them over the years, and I saw some familiar faces on that team from being down south. I didn’t really have too many relationships with the coaches or anything like that, but it was a good one for us.”
On what Coach Lucas said at halftime…
“He wasn’t really mad. He was just saying it’s a game. They’re a great mid-major school, and they’ve had good games against LSU and teams like that. They came out with fire and they’re only 20 minutes away from us. They really wanted this one bad. So we knew we had to come out in the second half with that same fire and jump on them early to stop their momentum, especially after how they owned the first half. Just getting out there those first four minutes, getting on them early, and then maintaining it and continuing to build the lead from there.”
