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No. 14 Miami shows glimpses of greatness in exhibition win over No. 24 Vanderbilt

Miami defeated Vanderbilt 109-96.
ByPatrick Previty
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Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Jai Lucas calls a play during the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images
Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Jai Lucas calls a play during the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

No. 14 Miami defeated No. 24 Vanderbilt 109-96 on Friday night in an exhibition game at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables. The Hurricanes shot 58% from the field (40-of-69) and 48% from three-point range (12-of-25) while dishing out 20 assists and outscoring the Commodores 54-46 in the paint.

Miami secures preseason win over Vanderbilt

Acaden Lewis led Miami with 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-4 from three-point range, along with 10 assists and three steals. Freshman Caleb Gaskins scored 20 points and connected on four of his five attempts from beyond the arc, exploding for 14 points in the second half after a quieter start.

Preseason All-ACC First Team selection Shelton Henderson contributed 17 points, five rebounds and four assists, as one of seven Hurricanes who finished in double figures.

Dante Allen finished with 11 points, while Somto Cyril, Robert Miller III and Brent Bland each added 10 points. Nick Dorn contributed eight points and six rebounds, including a key tip-in at the end of the first half, and Cyril and Miller III each pulled down six rebounds to help Miami compete on the glass despite being outrebounded 40-38 overall.

Miami opened the game with a 13-2 lead behind five early points from Lewis before a three-pointer from Bland later extended the advantage to 21-5 with just under 15 minutes remaining in the first half.

Vanderbilt gradually closed the gap and trailed 47-44 late in the period, but Dorn's buzzer-beating tip-in gave the Hurricanes a 49-44 lead at halftime.

In the second half, the Miami offense poured in 60 points while shooting 60.6% from the field and making eight three-pointers. Gaskins hit four threes in the first five minutes to help push the lead to 68-54, and the Hurricanes later reached their largest margin of the night at 84-66 with just over 11 minutes remaining.

Vanderbilt mounted a late rally that cut the deficit to 101-93 with under three minutes left, but back-to-back baskets from Henderson and Lewis restored a double-digit advantage and allowed Miami to close out the 13-point victory without further trouble.

For Vanderbilt, Ace Glass led the way with 19 points and Chandler Bing added 18 points and nine rebounds, while Tyler Tanner scored 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting in an off night.

The Commodores shot 44% from the field (32-of-72) and 36% from three-point range (8-of-22).

The Hurricanes open their 2026-27 regular season against No. 1 Florida on Nov. 2 in Tampa while Vanderbilt begins its schedule the same day against Bellarmine.

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