Larkin has Career Day, Energized Canes beat Dolphins 73-57
Shane Larkin had a career-high 27 points as the Miami Hurricanes had a solid win over the Jacksonville Dolphins, 73-57. The Hurricanes really came alive in the second half to put away the Dolphins for good.
The Hurricanes jumped out to an 11-0 lead, but went into halftime only up 27-23. Dylan Fritsch was the greatest threat for Miami. He came off the bench and scored four three-point baskets in the first half, 23 points in the game overall. Miami also slowed itself down with turnovers, 15 total.
“We had a couple of careless ones in the first half,” said Coach Jim Larranaga, “but I thought overall we did pretty well.
Julian Gamble, starting for Reggie Johnson because of an injured tailbone, led Miami at the break with nine points. He finished with 13 points tying his career high.
Shane Larkin was the shining star, scoring 21 of his 27 points in the second half. He led the team with five assists.
“I think we had really good energy tonight and I think that that started with Shane. He had that energy for the entire 40 minutes,” remarked Gamble.
He is growing in his leadership on and off the court. After the Hurricanes tough loss to Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday, Larkin texted his teammates and asked them what he could to do to help the team improve. In his second year, he feels like he has matured and is ready to be more vocal.
“Communication between teammates is probably the most important thing ’cause you want everybody to feel a part of the team,” said Larkin. “It just really helped us tonight.”
Coach Jim Larranaga was pleased.
“I thought our overall defensive effort was good and our execution on offense was better. Shane had a great night, not only scoring the ball but controlling the tempo.”
Trey McKinney Jones had 11 points, six rebounds and three steals for the Hurricanes. Rion Brown added another seven rebounds that allowed Miami to maintain momentum throughout the game.
Going forward, the Hurricanes hope to feed off this same energy.
“We’re kind of a quiet team. The coaches have asked these guys to be more vocal,” explained Larranaga.
Miami’s next game is set for 2 p.m. on November 24th at home against Detroit.
