Nijel Pack and Isaiah Wong each scored 18 points to lead No. 20 Miami to a comfortable 86-63 victory over host Florida State on Tuesday night in Tallahassee, Fla.
The Hurricanes (16-4, 7-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) put together a torrid shooting performance from the outset to beat their longtime state rivals in the first of two meetings this season.
The Seminoles (7-14, 5-5 ACC), who were led by Caleb Mills’ 12 points and four rebounds, were denied a chance to win three consecutive games for the first time this season after winning back-to-back games on the road at Notre Dame and Pitt.
Miami had five players score in double figures. After Florida State’s Darin Green Jr. scored the first bucket of the game, the Hurricanes used a 19-2 run to take control.
The Hurricanes shot 56.4 percent (31 of 55) for the game and made 11 of 22 shots from 3-point range. They built a 54-28 lead by halftime and led by as many as 28 points in the second half.
Miami shot 20-of-33 in the first half and buried nine triples on 14 attempts.
Pack ignited the early surge, scoring 16 of his points in the first half. He and Wong each shot 4-for-7 from 3-point range for the game. Wong also had nine rebounds.
Pack had a team-high five assists as the Hurricanes moved the ball well throughout the game, finishing with 23 assists on 31 field goals.
Wooga Poplar also provided a big lift early, scoring 10 of his 14 points in the first half to key the Hurricanes’ early scoring spurts.
Norchad Omier helped Miami dominate on the glass and finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds. The Hurricanes outrebounded the Seminoles 40-23 and didn’t allow Florida State to pull any closer than 20 in the second half despite committing 17 turnovers that led to 19 points.
Jordan Miller also finished with 12 points.
Naheem McLeod had 11 points for the Seminoles while Matthew Cleveland added 10 points and five rebounds.
–Field Level Media
