Miami Hurricanes Basketball: Canes Overcome Horrid First Half to Beat Syracuse 64-51

When a team scores 17 points, shoots 19.2% from the field and commits seven turnovers in a first half, odds are it’s going to be a rough day at the office. For the Miami Hurricanes though, sluggish first half starts and remarkable second half performances are just becoming the norm.

Using 14 second half points from Ja’Quan Newton and a spectacular defensive effort Miami climbed its way out of a first half hole to beat Syracuse 64-51 and improve to 12-1 on the season. The victory also marked their first victory in the team’s ACC opener since they defeated Georgia Tech three seasons ago.

While that ACC opener drought eventually ended, it didn’t look good for the Hurricanes in the early going. Forced shots, sloppy play and just some bad luck silenced the packed crowd at the BankUnited Center and the Jim Boeheim-less Syracuse Orange pounced on the opportunity.

After James Palmer converted an and-1 with 12:46 left in the first half, the Canes didn’t make a field goal for the next 11:38 in the game. Over that stretch, the Orange went on an 18-4 run to propel them to a ten-point lead.

While all the mediocrity from Miami was evident on the scoreboard, the Hurricanes remarkably still found themselves in the game at halftime. They had played without a doubt their worst half of basketball all season and still were down just 25-17 as the teams entered the break. While last year’s team might not have had that “it” factor to pull out games like this, the last two games for this year’s squad have certainly shown they have that “it”.

Right out of the gate, Miami went on a 13-4 run to take a 30-29 lead and all with little offensive help from Angel Rodriguez who was shut out of this game for the first 36:13 of the game. Sheldon McClellan was attacking and getting to the rim which brought the Hurricanes back, but ultimately it was the “backup” point guard once again that saved the day.

Just a few days after scoring 13 second half points to pull the Canes out of a hole against Princeton, Ja’Quan Newton worked his magic once again vs. Syracuse. The sophomore shot 3-of-4 from the field, including 2-of-2 from three-point range and was 6-of-8 from the charity stripe to give him 14 points in the second half. Newton is technically the backup behind Angel Rodriguez since he isn’t in the starting five, but his performance Saturday afternoon showed why that’s just a label and not accurate of the true production he gives this team.

Down the stretch Miami made their free throws and somehow found a way to escape defeat after putting up an ugly display in the first half. While a lot will be made of their offensive performance, it was the defense that led the way for the Canes against the Orange.

Coming into the game, Syracuse was averaging 72 points per game, but with Miami’s suffocating defense on display at the BUC, the Orange managed just 51 points and turned the ball over 18 times. If it weren’t for an amazing display and 20 points from Malachi Richardson, Miami might have blown this game open earlier.

On the offensive end though there was a good sign for Miami fans as Sheldon McClellan responded to a season-low six points against Princeton and pitched in with 22 points. On the other end of that spectrum, it was a real tough night for Angel Rodriguez.

The redshirt senior had just three points on 1-for-9 shooting, including 0-for-7 from three-point range. His defense was spectacular on the night, but that won’t be noticed when people look at the box score. His decision-making at times is frustrating and he has to find a way to not continue to force shots when it’s not falling for him. When he starts chucking three-pointers, the offense flounders. We’ll hear talk of good Angel and bad Angel, but all the Miami coaching staff should want to see is a smart and under-control Angel because if he is distributing and only taking open shots, this offense is unstoppable.

Overall though, I don’t want to nitpick this team too much because of the way they’ve been able to shed (mostly) that inconsistent tag. It may not be pretty, but at least we don’t see the 28-point blowout against Eastern Kentucky game like we did last year. We may yet as the year wears on, but right now getting the “W’s” is just becoming the norm.