No. 17 Miami entered Friday's matchup against North Alabama searching for answers to its early-season shooting struggles. Brent Bland provided plenty of them, knocking down eight 3-pointers as the Hurricanes set a school record with 20 triples in a 94-52 victory at the Watsco Center.
CANES WIN!!!! pic.twitter.com/KVDyJ7FnAS
— Canes Men’s Basketball (@CanesHoops) November 14, 2026
Miami takes down North Alabama 94-52
Miami won its third consecutive game following a season-opening loss to No. 1 Florida, shooting 20 of 47 (42.6%) from beyond the arc after making just 14 of 63 attempts through its first three games.
Bland finished with a game-high 26 points, Nick Dorn added 18 points on six 3-pointers, and Shelton Henderson contributed a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds as the Hurricanes overwhelmed North Alabama.
North Alabama trimmed Miami's lead to 16-14 before the former Saint Peter's guard connected on five 3-pointers in under four minutes, fueling a 19-2 run that extended the Hurricanes' advantage to 35-16.
Dorn eventually extended Miami's surge to 22-2 with another 3-pointer, giving the Hurricanes their 10th of the opening half.
Miami entered halftime leading 54-26 after connecting on 13 threes (Hurricanes record), already surpassing its highest single-game total from last season.
Miami continued pulling away in the second half, putting together a 17-0 run to build its largest lead at 83-36. The Hurricanes held North Alabama scoreless for more than eight minutes during the stretch.
Bland's eighth 3-pointer, which came with just over one minute remaining in the game, broke Miami's previous school record of 18 against Coppin State on Dec. 21, 2019. Dorn added another triple to push the new mark to 20.
Miami accomplished all of this without a significant contribution from Malik Reneau. The preseason All-ACC forward went scoreless in eight first-half minutes and did not play after halftime due to injury.
The Hurricanes have now defeated Wagner, North Florida and North Alabama by a combined 106 points since their 77-67 loss to Florida.
3 early-season takeaways for Miami
1. Miami's 3-point shooting might not be as big of a problem as it appeared
Through three games, Miami ranked among the nation's worst 3-point shooting teams, connecting on just 22.2% of its attempts. Miami made more 3-pointers against North Alabama than it had in its previous three games combined, raising its season percentage to 30.9%.
Bland's performance was encouraging since he entered the game just 3 of 12 from deep. The All-MAAC transfer made 79 three-pointers at Saint Peter's last season.
2. Jai Lucas has plenty of scoring options beyond his starters
Bland and Dorn combined for 44 points after averaging just 4.3 and 4.7 points, respectively, entering Friday. Meanwhile, Reneau went scoreless, and Miami still scored a season-high 94 points.
Somto Cyril, Gaskins, Allen and Robert Miller III have also made valuable contributions through the first four games.
3. Miami's defense has been its strength
The shooting performance will understandably dominate the headlines, but Miami's defensive production has been encouraging throughout the early season.
The Hurricanes held Wagner to 57 points, North Florida to 51 and North Alabama to 52, allowing an average of just 53.3 points across their three victories. Those are impressive performances, but the level of competition will increase as the season continues.
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