Tru Washington finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead a balanced effort by host Miami in a 99-72 win over Elon on Thursday night in Coral Gables, Fla.
The Hurricanes (4-1) bounced back from a loss Sunday against Florida by pulling away in the second half from the Phoenix (3-2), who lost for the second time in their past three games.
Miami’s starting five all scored in double figures as the Hurricanes came within one point of what would have been their third 100-point game of the season.
Malik Reneau totaled 19 points, six rebounds and four assists. Tre Donaldson had 18 points and five assists, while Shelton Henderson added 16 points in the absence of forward Ernest Udeh Jr., who sat out with a lower body injury.
After Elon pulled to within five to open the second half, Miami used an 18-6 surge to put the game out of reach.
Dante Allen finished with 14 points and five rebounds and shot 3-for-5 from 3-point range as the Hurricanes put together a strong long-distance shooting performance, making 9 of 24 shots from beyond the arc. Miami shot 54.4% overall (37 of 68).
Miami also did a solid job against Elon’s Chandler Cuthrell, who finished with 15 points, well below his season average of 24.5 points entering the game.
Randall Pettus II led the Phoenix with 17 points, and Bryson Cokley had 14 points and six rebounds. Ja’Juan Carr had 12 points, five assists and three rebounds.
The Phoenix shot 51.0% from the field, made 10 of 21 shots from 3-point range and only trailed 48-41 at halftime.
But Miami dominated in the paint with a 54-28 scoring advantage and controlled the offensive glass by a 15-5 margin. The Hurricanes’ defense contributed to 18 Elon turnovers, and Miami turned those miscues into 25 points.
