College Basketball

Miami Hurricanes Outlast George Washington 72-64

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:27 p.m. ET

Fansided, Alan Rubenstein/FanSided via Canes Warning

The Miami Hurricanes bolted out to a 32-10 lead then survived a George Washington comeback as they pulled away late from the free throw line for a 72-64 win in Coral Gables Thursday night.

The Colonials answered Miami’s offensive explosion by going on 17-0 run in a five minute span of the first half to close the margin to five. The Hurricanes extended the lead to 38-30 at halftime.

Davon Reed led the way for the Hurricanes as he continues to shoot the ball well. The Senior guard scored 17 points and hit three of his seven three point attempts to lead Miami. Ja’Quan Newton and Bruce Brown had 14 and Ebuka Izundu had his best game of the season with 12.

George Washington’s only lead of the game was 2-0. They opened the second half with a 10-2 run to even the game at 40. It was the game’s first tie since the opening tip.

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An Izundu free throw gave the Hurricanes a lead they would never relinquish. The game remained close until Reed and Brown each went four for four from the line in the final 41 seconds to put the game away.

Brown had an another outstanding all around game. He added 12 rebounds to his 14 points. After getting off to a relative slow start through the first six games, Reed has been on fire shooting the ball in the last five.

Reed is shooting 54 percent from the floor and 61.9 percent on threes during the Hurricanes five game winning streak. He is averaging 16.8 points per game in the same time span.

Asked what the difference in his shooting has been Reed said:

“My early slump in the season was more adjusting to the team to get more assists and run more plays…I just simplified my game, having more confidence. My teammates have been able to get me the ball and I’ve been making some shots.”

Yuta Watanabe who is the first Division One scholarship player from Japan returned for the Colonials. He had been out for a month with a calf injury. He played a major roll in their comeback. Watanabe scored 15 points, including hitting on three of his five three point shots. He also added six rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Three other Colonials scored in double figures. Their leading scorer Tyler Cavanaugh had 13 points, five rebounds and two steals, point guard Jaren Sina had 11 points and three assists and Jordan Roland added ten.

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After a shaky first half, the Miami defense played much better after halftime. The Colonials shot 37.5 percent in the second half including making just four of 12 from beyond the arc. They finished the night making 41.1 percent from the floor and 31.8 percent of their three point attempts.

Jim Larranga was impressed with how his Hurricanes opened and closed the game in spite of the late hiccup in the first half.

“I thought we played sensational for the first 13 minutes…There was just a slight letup and that was just enough…We played very smart, very well down the stretch…I thought it was like an ACC game. It was very physical inside.”

Next Game: Miami will face Columbia in its last non-conference game of the season on Wednesday night before they commence ACC play on New Year’s Eve. Both games will be at the Watsco Center.

Miami Hurricanes Outlast George Washington 72-64

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