Durand Scott scored 20 points and Julian Gamble added 16 points and 13 rebounds as Miami defeated Hawaii 73-58 in the first round of the Diamond Head Classic late Saturday night in Honolulu.
Shane Larkin had 12 points and Trey McKinney Jones 11 points for the Hurricanes (8-1), who were scheduled to face No. 4 Arizona (10-0) in the semifinals late Sunday. Visit www.palmbeachpost.com/sports for the results of that game.
The Hurricanes, who won their seventh consecutive game with the victory over the Warriors, broke open a close game with a 14-5 run to start the second half.
Miami scored the first six points of the second half in a two-minute span, forcing Hawaii to a call a timeout, and Rion Brown’s jumper made the score 36-24 with 16:01 remaining. The Hurricanes forced three Warriors turnovers during the run.
After Hawaii’s Brandon Jawato hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 36-29, Miami hit four 3-pointers and Gamble converted a three-point play to extend the Hurricanes’ lead to 55-37 with 11 minutes left.
Jawato came off the bench to hit four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points for Hawaii (5-4).
Shane Larkin’s father, Baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, was among the Miami contingent in attendance.
No. 18 San Diego State 62, Indiana State 55: Jamaal Franklin had 19 points and 15 rebounds, and the Aztecs (11-1) held off the Sycamores (6-4) in Sunday's first semifinal in the Diamond Head Classic. Chase Tapley added 13 points for San Diego State, which will face the winner of Sunday's late game between Miami and Arizona for the title at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. RJ Mahurin had 15 points for Indiana State.
