Brent Bland scored 26 points off the bench and set a career high with eight 3-pointers to help No. 17 Miami cruise to a 94-52 victory over North Alabama on Friday.
The Hurricanes improved to 3-1 on the season as they dominated the Lions in a game that served as a homecoming for North Alabama coach Tony Pujol, who grew up in Miami.
Miami set a new school record by sinking 20 of 47 attempts from long range, surpassing the previous mark of 18 set against Coppin State in 2019, according to “reporting by Yahoo Sports.”
Bland, a graduate transfer from Saint Peter’s, was instrumental in the offensive surge, hitting his first five attempts from behind the arc during a pivotal 22-2 run.
Fellow reserve Nick Dorn contributed 18 points, all coming from 3-point range, while Shelton Henderson added a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
The team’s depth was on full display as Dante Allen recorded 12 assists and six rebounds off the bench to supplement his seven points.
In total, Miami finished the contest with 27 assists and outscored the visitors 19-9 on fast-break opportunities.
Despite the offensive success, the Hurricanes faced a setback when Malik Reneau, the team’s leading scorer from last season, was held scoreless.
Reneau exited the game midway through the first half after suffering a shoulder injury and did not return to the floor.
North Alabama struggled to find a rhythm against the Miami defense, enduring a scoring drought that lasted more than eight minutes in the second half.
Cortez Graham-Howard led the Lions with 10 points in the loss.
The Hurricanes entered halftime with a commanding 54-26 lead after connecting on 13 of their 3-pointers in the opening period alone.
Miami continued to pull away in the second half, with a layup from Bland extending the lead to 83-36 with just over five minutes remaining.
The Hurricanes are scheduled to host Rider on Tuesday, while North Alabama will return home to face Fisk on Monday, “as noted by the Associated Press.”