CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Matthew Cleveland scored 14 points, Norchad Omier and Nijel Pack each added 13 and No. 8 Miami beat Notre Dame 62-49 on Saturday in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.
Omier added 13 rebounds for the Hurricanes (6-1, 1-0), who finished with a 16-0 edge in fast-break points.
J.R. Konieczny scored 14 for Notre Dame (3-4, 0-1). Tae Davis finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Fighting Irish.
With former Hurricane standouts like Bruce Brown — in town with the Indiana Pacers to play the Miami Heat — and Davon Reed sitting courtside, Miami held Notre Dame to 29% shooting, 19% on 3-pointers.
Braeden Shrewsberry's 3-pointer with 7:25 left in the first half put Notre Dame up 20-19. But Miami — in what has been a calling card for the Hurricanes this season, the big spurt — took the lead right back with a 12-0 run, with five different players scoring during the burst that started when Kyshawn George hit a 3-pointer.
It was the eighth time already this season that Miami had a run of at least 10-0 during a game. This one put the Hurricanes on top to stay, though the game remained relatively close until the end.
Another key for Miami in the early going: Omier didn't have a foul before halftime for the second time this season.
The Hurricanes are plus-59 this season in first halves with Omier on the floor, only plus-8 when he isn't — and in the last three games, that disparity is even more obvious. It's plus-41 with Omier on the floor, minus-20 otherwise in those opening halves.
BIG PICTURE
Notre Dame: It was Notre Dame's 21st consecutive loss in true road games against ranked teams, a stretch that started with a 79-70 loss at Miami on Feb. 3, 2016.
Miami: The Hurricanes are off to a 6-1 start for the second consecutive season. It's the first time Miami has done that since 2015-16 (6-1) and 2016-17 (7-0).
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Miami will remain in the AP Top 25 for a 19th consecutive poll when the latest version is released Monday, extending its school record. The 95-73 loss at No. 12 Kentucky earlier in the week will almost certainly cost the Hurricanes a few spots.
Notre Dame hasn't been ranked since December 2017. Monday's new poll will be the 113th in a row to not include the Irish among the Top 25.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame: Host Western Michigan on Tuesday.
Miami: Host LIU on Wednesday.
Miami 62, Notre Dame 49
NOTRE DAME (3-4) — Davis 5-10 2-2 12, Njie 1-7 3-4 5, Burton 3-11 0-0 6, Konieczny 4-9 2-2 14, Roper 1-8 0-0 2, Shrewsberry 2-11 0-0 6, Imes 0-1 0-0 0, Booth 2-6 0-1 4, Zona 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 18-63 7-9 49.
MIAMI (6-1) — Omier 6-8 0-0 13, Cleveland 5-7 4-6 14, Joseph 1-6 0-0 3, Pack 5-14 0-0 13, Poplar 4-8 0-0 9, George 1-3 0-0 3, Watson 2-4 1-2 5, Nwoko 0-3 0-0 0, Casey 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 25-54 5-8 62.
Halftime—Miami 33-26. 3-Point Goals—Notre Dame 6-32 (Konieczny 4-7, Shrewsberry 2-10, Imes 0-1, Njie 0-1, Davis 0-2, Booth 0-3, Roper 0-3, Burton 0-5), Miami 7-18 (Pack 3-6, George 1-1, Joseph 1-2, Omier 1-2, Poplar 1-4, Watson 0-1, Cleveland 0-2). Rebounds—Notre Dame 35 (Davis 10), Miami 33 (Omier 13). Assists—Notre Dame 11 (Burton 6), Miami 12 (Pack 7). Total Fouls—Notre Dame 11, Miami 9.
