Norchad Omier recorded his 11th double-double of the season and the 46th of his three-season collegiate career as No. 19 Miami blitzed Duke 81-59 in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup on Monday in Coral Gables, Fla.
Omier, a transfer from Arkansas State, had a game highs with 17 points and 10 rebounds and hit a career-best two 3-pointers in two attempts. He helped the Hurricanes (19-5, 10-4 ACC) lead wire-to-wire while avenging a two-point loss at Duke on Jan. 21.
Jordan Miller (16 points), Wooga Poplar (14) and Isaiah Wong (11) also were in double figures for the Hurricanes, who improved to 13-0 at home while winning their third game in a row.
Dereck Lively II and Ryan Young scored 11 points each for the Blue Devils (17-7, 8-5), who saw a three-game winning streak end. Jeremy Roach added 10 points, and Kyle Filipowski contributed nine points and nine rebounds.
Despite facing a huge disparity in height against Duke 7-footers Filipowski and Lively, the Hurricanes outrebounded the Blue Devils 38-31 and had a 24-9 advantage in second-chance points.
The Hurricanes also posted a 42-34 edge in points in the paint and outscored the Blue Devils 17-7 in fastbreak points.
The Hurricanes increased a 14-point halftime lead to 49-26 with a 9-0 run to start the second half. Their largest lead was 76-50 with 4:44 remaining.
The turnover woes that plagued the Blue Devils in the first half continued in the second and the Hurricanes were up 25 points after Omier’s breakaway dunk with 7:19 to go.
The Hurricanes came out hot and took a 13-1 lead less than three minutes into the game. The Blue Devils, meanwhile, struggled with their shooting, starting out 3-for-16, as well as their ball-handling. They finished 22-for-54 (40.7 percent) from the floor and only 5-for-19 (26.3 percent) from 3-point range.
The Blue Devils committed eight turnovers in the first eight minutes on their way to 11 in the first half and 21 for the game to match their season high. The Hurricanes finished with 12 turnovers.
Miami’s biggest lead in the first half was a pair of 17-point cushions, the second at 36-19, and they went to the locker room up 40-26 after Omier’s dunk just before the buzzer.
–Field Level Media