Junior shooting guard Kameron McGusty had 17 points and 10 rebounds, leading Miami (Fla.) past UCF 79-70 on Tuesday night in Orlando, Fla.
Senior Dejan Vasiljevic had 16 points, and freshman Harlond Beverly added 15 points and a team-high four assists for Miami (2-1).
The Knights (1-1) were led by Darrin Green and Frank Bertz, each with 13 points.
There was some controversy late in the game. With 6:11 left in the second half, UCF's Collin Smith, who had scored eight points, fouled out. On that same play, Miami's Chris Lykes started clapping near UCF's Dazon Ingram, who shoved him in the face in response.
Ingram was ejected, finishing with nine points. Lykes was also issued a technical for taunting but remained in the game. Lykes finished with 11 points as Miami improved to 8-2 in its series with UCF.
Hurricanes starting power forward Sam Waardenburg injured his left ankle with 7:54 left in the second half and did not return. He finished with two points and two rebounds.
Miami got off to a 12-3 start, fueled by eight McGusty points during that spurt.
Smith, UCF's only returning starter from last season, exited the game after he was called for two fouls in the first 3:06. But UCF managed to get back in the game, taking its first lead at 25-24 with 4:43 left in the first half on Matt Milon's first 3-pointer as a member of the Knights. The William & Mary transfer had missed his first eight 3-point tries this season.
The half ended with Miami grabbing a 30-29 lead as McGusty stole the ball from Ingram, drove about 70 feet and then hit a contested baseline jumper at the buzzer.
After Ingram was ejected, Miami surged to a 66-53 lead with 6:06 left in the second half. UCF never seriously threatened again.
--Field Level Media
Miami-Florida | Central Florida | |
Kameron McGusty 17 | Scoring | Frank Bertz 13 |
Harlond Beverly 4 | Assists | Frank Bertz 4 |
Kameron McGusty 10 | Rebounds | Ibrahim Famouke Doumbia 7 |
Chris Lykes 6 | Free Throws Made | Ceasar DeJesus 3 |
Dejan Vasiljevic 2 | Steals | Matt Milon 3 |
Anthony Walker 2 | Blocks | Ibrahim Famouke Doumbia 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Miami-Florida | 79 | 46.8 | 5-20 | 16-22 | 16 | 29 | 2 | 7 | 9 |
Central Florida | 70 | 46.8 | 7-24 | 5-12 | 14 | 39 | 3 | 4 | 17 |