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Wong scores career-high 36 as Miami Hurricanes survive 107-105 shootout against Cornell

The Miami Hurricanes knew from the Cornell scouting report that the Big Red love to race up the court and shoot threes every chance they get.

The game Wednesday night at the Watsco Center was even more fast-paced than expected. It was an end-to-end shootout that at times looked more like a track meet than a basketball game.

The Hurricanes scored 66 first-half points – most by any men’s college team against a Division I opponent so far this season – and survived the wild game 107-105.

“It’s like trying to catch a runaway train,” is how UM coach Jim Larranaga described the game. “Cornell has developed a style that most people refer to as the Princeton style because their head coach played at Princeton. So many Ivy League teams adopted Pete Carril’s offense but the difference is, at Cornell they do it at top speed. We don’t see it at that pace. They are one of the fastest teams in launching shots...we’re not used to defending a team that can score that well in the open court.”

Miami led by as many as 21 points in the second half, but Cornell’s sharp shooters kept chipping away and the final minutes of the game were frantic. An Isaiah Wong three put UM up 107-102, but Cornell’s Guy Ragland grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed three and knocked it in to make it 107-104 and a Nazir Williams free throw made it 105.

Miami improved to 9-1 with the win.

By halftime, the Hurricanes led 66-52, setting a program record for points in a half in the ACC era (since 2004-05). The previous record was 61 against Nova Southeastern in 2009.

Isaiah Wong scored 22 first half points and finished with a career-high 36 points on 11-of-17 shooting. His previous best was 30 against Louisville in January 2021. His 36 were the most by an ACC player this season and the last Hurricane to come close was Jack McClinton, who scored 35 against North Carolina in 2009.

“We like to run, and Isaiah’s one of those guys, he probably visualized himself having a great game when he heard how fast Cornell was and how many possessions there were going to be,” Larranaga said. Miami had 78 possessions, Cornell 77.

Wong agreed that the pace of the game was perfect for him.

“That style really suited me because they play really fast and like to take the ball up and shoot at a high clip,” Wong said. “It was a fast-paced game, I got my shot going early, and my teammates helped me get my open shots.”

Wong wasn’t the only Hurricane with big numbers in the final box score.

Jordan Miller had 15 by halftime, shot 8-of-11 and had 22 by the end of the night. Norchad Omier had 17 points and 12 rebounds and Bensley Joseph added 12.

Joseph said while the game was hectic, he enjoyed it.

“It’s fun, but it’s also tiring,” Joseph said. “Up and down game. They like to run. We like to run, too. Credit to them. They were hitting shots, back dooring, and that’s things they do really well. I like those types of games, but I’m exhausted.”

Heading into the game, Cornell was averaging 82 points per game and ranked second nationally in three-pointers attempted (31.6), third in three-pointers made (11.9) and second in fast break points (23.4). On Wednesday the Big Red were 12 of 36 from beyond the arc.

Cornell (7-2) hit 82 points with eight minutes to go Wednesday night, and Miami had scored 91 by that point.

Wong hit the first three of the game in the first minute and stayed hot all night. When Cornell tied the score 22-22, Wong went on a solo 7-0 run to stretch the lead. Nijel Pack and Miller made back-to-back threes a few minutes later, and Pack and Wong made another pair of threes to give the Canes a 43-32 lead.

The breakneck pace never slowed down. The Hurricanes and Big Red played a high-octane style that delighted the spirited crowd.

The second half was much of the same, with the Canes sprinting up the court for dunks and three-pointers. The Big Red kept shooting from distance and hung around, keeping the gap around 10 points.

Fittingly, it was Wong whose pair of free throws hit the 100 mark for the Hurricanes with just under six minutes to go. Cornell closed to within eight points, 104-96 on a jumper by Greg Dolan and could have made it a six-point game but Miami guard Bensley Joseph, known for his stifling defense, leaped up to block a Nazir Williams shot.

Cornell got within six points a minute later on a shot by Chris Manon with 1:31 to go in the game. But Wong came up big with a clutch three-pointer to put the Hurricanes ahead 107-100.

Five players finished in double figures for the Big Red. Greg Dolan led with 19 points, Nazir Williams had 18, Hansen 14, Manon 14 and Max Watson 13.

Fall semester classes ended Wednesday at UM, and finals begin next week. But the Hurricanes men’s basketball team already had their first test Wednesday night, and they aced it.

The Hurricanes play at home again Saturday at 2 p.m. against ACC opponent N.C. State.