CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) – Vernon Carey Jr. scored 24 points in 25 minutes playing against his hometown team for the first time, and No. 2 Duke shot a season-high 60% to beat the Miami Hurricanes 95-62 Saturday night.
It was Miami’s most lopsided home loss in Jim Larranaga’s nine seasons as coach.
Carey shot 11 for 14, and every basket drew cheers from a substantial portion of the less-than-capacity crowd. The Blue Devils freshman starred in high school in nearby Broward County, and his father played football for the Hurricanes.
Duke (13-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) won its seventh game in a row. Miami (9-4, 1-2) had a five-game winning streak snapped and lost for the first time since November.
Blue Devils freshman Cassius Stanley had 20 points in 25 minutes, and Matthew Hurt added 13 points. Carey had nine rebounds to lead Duke, which outrebounded Miami 41-24.
The Blue Devils scored 64 points in the paint. Carey, Stanley and Hurt shot a combined 25 for 33 (76%).
Duke put the clamps on Chris Lykes, Miami’s leading scorer this season. He shot 2 for 15 and totaled eight points.
Kameron McGusty led the Hurricanes with 12 points but had six turnovers.
Miami hung with Duke early and trailed 23-20 midway through the first half. But the Blue Devils made 11 of their final 13 shots before halftime, including Hurt’s 3-pointer to beat the buzzer ending the half for a 50-36 lead.
BIG PICTURE
The Blue Devils came into the game leading the nation in scoring margin at 20.8, and they’ve been especially dominant lately, with their past four wins by 29, 25, 39 and 33 points.
Miami has 11 scholarship players, and lack of depth is an issue for the second season in a row. The Hurricanes trailed by 20 in the second half before their reserves produced a point.
UP NEXT
Miami plays at No. 7 Louisville on Tuesday. The Hurricanes lost 87-74 when they met in the season opener.
Duke plays at Georgia Tech on Wednesday. The Blue Devils are 10-0 against the Yellow Jackets since 2010-11.
