Takeaways from Miami’s 88-64 win over Southern Miss

As suggested by the early noon tip-off, Miami men’s basketball played a sluggish first half against Southern Miss. The score was tied at 34 apiece at halftime, as Jai Lucas’ team lethargically headed back to the home locker room after the slow start to the game.

The Hurricanes came out firing in the second half and quickly built a double-digit lead. Miami cruised from that point on, winning 88-64.

So what changed in the closing half?

“Our intensity, our energy, our effort was there in the second half, and it was not there at all in the first half,” Lucas said. “I didn’t think it was anything schematic. I didn’t think it was anything they were doing, anything we weren’t doing. The difference in the game – they were playing harder than us.”

“So I challenged the guys at halftime, and they responded, which is always a good sign, so I was proud of that.”

Freshman forwards Timo Malovec and Shelton Henderson spearheaded this second-half push. The duo combined for 21 points and jolted the team with energy as it made its run in the game’s last 20 minutes.

Here are three takeaways from Miami’s win over Southern Miss. The Hurricanes will remain at home for their next game on Saturday, Dec. 13 at noon against UL Monroe. 

Malovec lights it up off Miami’s bench

The first-year Slovakian had his best game as a Hurricane against Southern Miss.

With the Golden Eagles playing a zone defense for much of the game, Malovec’s ability to space the floor was instrumental for Miami’s offense. He finished the game with a season-high 16 points, knocking down four of his 10 three-point attempts.

Shooting is my role in the team, so that’s what I’m going to do, try to do,” Malovec said. “That’s what’s asked of me.”

As Miami doesn’t have many natural shooters on its roster, Malovec can make a massive impact for this team down the stretch as a reliable floor spacer.

Donaldson sets career high in assists

When Donaldson transferred to UM in the offseason, Lucas wanted the former Auburn and Michigan guard to continue making strides as a point guard. This included his leadership, which is a source of pride for Donaldson, as well as his playmaking.

Donaldson is already on pace to average the most assists per game of his career, and he had one of his best-ever passing performances against the Golden Eagles. He set his career high with 11 assists, seven of which came in the second half.

“He’s just getting better and better and getting more comfortable in the role he’s in here. His role he’s in here is completely different than the role he was at Michigan,” Lucas said about Donaldson. “They kind of played through Danny Wolf, and Danny Wolf was kind of the point guard. So giving him the opportunity to kind of play and display his IQ and his ability to run the team, I think it’s given him a little bit more life and a little bit more confidence.”

Various defensive looks

Miami played mostly man-to-man defense through the first stretch of the season, but injuries to key bench players have led Lucas to utilizing more zone defense to avoid tiring out his shortened rotation.

The Golden Eagles turned the ball over a whopping 20 times against the Hurricanes. This led to 24 points off turnovers for Miami.

With guards Marcus Allen, Dante Allen and Noam Dovrat out with injuries, the Hurricanes’ rotation shrunk to seven. Donaldson played the whole game, and fellow starting guard Tru Washington registered 35 minutes, going the entire first half without a breather.

As for Miami’s injured players, Lucas said that both Marcus Allen and Dovrat are day-to-day, while Dante Allen may be unavailable for a more extended period of time.