Savannah State forward Brian Pearson (55) passes the ball as Miami guard Deandre Burnett (1) and guard James Palmer (12) defend in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Dec. 8, 2014, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Angel Rodriguez and Miami made the most of their quick turnaround following the Hurricanes’ first loss of the season.
Rodriguez scored 17 points, and the No. 20 Hurricanes routed Savannah State 70-39 on Monday night.
The Hurricanes (9-1) shot 51.2 percent and never trailed in their first game since a 68-55 home loss to Green Bay on Saturday.
“It was good that we didn’t have a lot of time to sulk over our loss,” Miami coach Jim Larranaga said.
The Hurricanes opened the second half with a 12-2 spurt to open a 46-25 lead. Manu Lecomte capped the run with a three-point play with 13:21 remaining.
“The fact we were able to play right away was good for us so we could make it up,” said Lecomte, who made four 3-pointers and finished with 15 points. “The game against Green Bay we didn’t execute the game plan on defense. Today we played much harder.”
The Hurricanes had their first 30-point lead at 64-33 after Sheldon McClellan’s two free throws with 2:53 remaining. McClellan finished with 15 points.
The Tigers (3-7) shot 26 percent from the field in the second half and 32.6 percent for the game.
“We were attentive to the defense better than the other day,” Larranaga said.
Rodriguez’s 3-pointer and three free throws in the first 8:20 helped the Hurricanes build a 17-4 lead. The Hurricanes had their biggest lead of the half at 27-10 on McClellan’s dunk with 4:46 remaining.
Demarcus Bryant hit consecutive 3-pointers as the Tigers outscored the Hurricanes 13-3 over the next 3:14. Jamal Norman’s dunk with 1:32 remaining cut Miami’s lead to 30-23.
“When we made the run, we were playing with a lot of energy on the defensive end,” Savannah State coach Horace Broadnax said. “The first four minutes there was no sweat in our bodies. When we went on that stretch, the guys were dripping sweat.”
Bryant led the Tigers with nine points.
STILL SEEKING DOUBLE-DIGITS
The Tigers have no players with a double-digit scoring average. Saddiq Muhammad scored seven points against Miami and is Savannah State’s leading scorer with a 9.1 points per game.
TIP-INS
Savannah State: The Tigers are 0-7 on the road. Savannah State will play its next three games on the road before returning home against Allen on Jan. 6.
Miami: McClellan has scored in double figures in seven consecutive games.
UP NEXT:
Savannah State visits Kansas State on Sunday.
Miami hosts Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 19.