Miami basketball wins opening exhibition behind explosive Isaiah Wong performance

Isaiah Wong scored 40 points before leaving late in the game with an unspecified injury late in the game. DePaul transfer Charlie Moore finished with 25 and super senior Kameron McGusty had 22 as the Miami basketball team defeated Nova Southeastern in their lone exhibition game 106-95 on Wednesday night.

Wong was efficient shooting 11-19 from the floor, making eight of his 14 three-point attempts and all 10 of his free throw attempts. Wong added seven rebounds, three blocks and three steals in 41 minutes.

Moore was equally as efficient making six of his 10 field goal attempts, four of his six three-point shots and nine of 10 from the free-throw line. McGusty made seven of his 14 shots from the floor, two of four threes and six of seven free throws. Moore had a good floor game with six rebounds and five assists.

McGusty added eight and eight. Miami head coach Jim Larranaga chose to use the game to build chemistry with five new players. Moore played 32 minutes, George Mason transfer Jordan Miller 20 and freshman Wooga Poplar 14. Miller did not score, missing his only shot from the floor. Poplar finished with five points.

Harlond Beverly scored eight points off the bench and Sam Waardenburg four. Deng Gak and Rodney Miller did not score. Waardenburg added four points, four rebounds, five assists, three blocks and one steal. The Miami basketball team led by as many as 22 points in the first half before leading 45-33 at halftime.

The Hurricanes’ biggest second-half lead was 74-54, but they were not able to put the Sharks away. Miami shot 45 percent from the floor while allowing Nova Southeastern to make 31 percent of their attempts. The Hurricanes’ 18 turnovers and 48-41 rebounding deficit are concerning against a Division II team.

It was not surprising to see Wong, McGusty and Moore combine for 87 of the 106 Miami points. The Hurricanes scoring is expected to primarily be from the perimeter this season. Jordan Miller going scoreless is concerning. Miller averaged 15.8 points per game during the 2020-21 season.

Miami will be off until they open the season on November 9 at home against Canisius. The Golden Griffins finished 7-6 last season and are a member of the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference. Miami plays three of its first four games at home. The Hurricanes host UCF, play at Florida Atlantic and host FAMU to begin the 2021-22 season.