Injured Canes fall to FGCU
Caleb Catto scored 18 points, Dakota Rivers 15 and each hit key baskets as Florida Gulf Coast upset injury-plagued Miami 66-62 on Saturday.
Catto and Rivers combined on nine three-pointers as FGCU (3-1) poured in 13. Rivers finished with a career-high five 3s and the Eagles beat Miami for the first time since the 2012-13 season when both were Sweet 16 teams.
Miami (3-1) lost guard Kameron McGusty and center Rodney Miller Jr. to leg injuries early in the game, leaving the Hurricanes with six healthy scholarship players.
“We’re shorthanded. We don’t have enough healthy bodies to play our game and until we get a group of guys that can function physically, it’s going to be a challenge because of the number of injuries we have,” UM coach Jim Larrañaga said. “…We only have 12 scholarship players and six of them can’t play. So it puts way too much of a burden on the guys who fought valiantly against Florida Gulf Coast, but they had no rest, no subs.”
Neither returned to the court, though McGusty threw in an inbounds pass with two seconds remaining. Miami begins Atlantic Coast Conference play against visiting Pittsburgh on Wednesday.
Chris Lykes (ankle), Earl Timberlake (ankle) and Sam Waardenburg (season-ending, foot) were already out.
Eli Abaev added 11 points and nine rebounds for the Eagles (3-1). Luis Rolon, playing in place of point guard Jalen Warren, who was suspended one game for a violation of team rules, scored five points, dished eight assists and was 5 for 7 at the line, four in the last 1:30.
Even short-handed, Miami maintained control through the first half until Catto hit a three to tie it at 28 at the break. Catto opened the second half with a jumper and another 3 and the Eagles led 35-32.
Miami would tie six times but FGCU never fell behind. Rivers’ final threepointer was a dagger at 42 seconds that gave FGCU its biggest lead, 62-56.
Isaiah Wong led Miami with 20 points, a block and three steals. The Hurricanes were 1 for 17 from distance before Wong hit back-to-back three-pointers in the last half-minute, trying to overcome FGCU's two-possession lead.
Nysier Brooks added 13 points and 15 rebounds, Anthony Walker scored 12 and had three blocks.
THIS AND THAT
The Hurricanes moved to 3-2 all-time against FGCU, including 2-1 at home and 1-2 in Larrañaga’s tenure.
Larrañaga, who entered the game with the 10th-most victories of any active Division I coach, is now 663-448 in 37 years as a head coach, including 193-114 in 10 seasons at Miami.