Seniors Izundu, Lawrence lead UM to 75-55 home win over FAU
In a season that has been otherwise rocky thus far, the emergence of 6-10 senior center Ebuka Izundu has been one of the few bright spots.
Izundu’s dominance was on display again Saturday during a 75-55 afternoon win over Florida Atlantic University. He missed only two shots all game and finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds (11 of them defensive), three blocks and two steals. Perhaps most significant, he committed just one personal foul in 31 minutes – and the lone foul came late in the game.
For the second game in a row, the foul-prone Izundu managed to stay out of foul trouble. In the previous game against Houston Baptist, Izundu stayed foul-free for 33 minutes and UM coach Jim Larranaga said that was the key to the victory.
UM coaches have zeroed in on Izundu’s foul troubles in recent practices, making him do pushups every time he gets a foul.
“He’s working really hard,” Larranaga said. “I’m increasing the pushups. If five pushups motivated him, what will he do with 10? 25? He’s a terrific young man and is playing with a lot of confidence.”
Going into Saturday’s game, Izundu ranked second in the ACC in field goal percentage (68 percent), third in offensive rebounds (3.6 per game), fourth in blocks (2.1 per game) and sixth in rebounds (9 per game).
“When he’s out there, just look at the numbers, look what he’s doing,” said point guard Chris Lykes. “He’s a big factor for us. Defensively he’s a rim protector. Offensively, he doesn’t try to do too much. He knows his shots.”
FAU coach Dusty May was familiar with Izundu, and impressed with how he has improved.
“We played him twice when I was an assistant at Florida and he’s gotten significantly better each year,” May said. “He has great touch, is very, very unselfish, and a changemaker around the rim. He’s a really good player, and they’ve done a good job with him.”
Izundu is more important than ever because Dewan Hernandez and Deng Gak have been unavailable.
Hernandez, a 6-11 junior, remained on the bench Saturday for the 11th game in a row. He is awaiting NCAA clearance as his eligibility is being reviewed. Hernandez hired an attorney to try to expedite the process. Gak, a 6-10 redshirt freshman, is out for the season with a knee injury.
Senior guard Anthony Lawrence also had a big game for Miami with 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Point guard Chris Lykes added 12 points and seven assists. Newcomer Anthony Mack, a redshirt freshman transfer from Wyoming, had has best game in a Miami uniform with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting.
“We played the best first half that we’ve played this season at both ends of the court,” Larranaga said. “We shared the ball, got a lot of good shots, ended up with 21 assists, which I’m very happy about. We held them to 23 points in the first half, and had a 30-point lead with 10 minutes to win. So, a very nice Christmas present for all of us.”
Anthony Adger led FAU (8-4) with 19 points and five three pointers. Jalen Sebree had 18.
The Hurricanes (7-4) are home again Dec. 29 against Campbell.
This story was originally published December 22, 2018 at 4:29 PM.