Freshman Earl Timberlake makes debut, helps lead UM to 73-64 win over Jacksonville
The Miami Hurricanes got an early Christmas gift on Saturday. Freshman swingman Earl Timberlake, who missed the first five games of the season with an ankle injury, made his highly anticipated debut a week earlier than expected.
Timberlake gave the hobbled Hurricanes a big boost and helped lead UM to a 73-64 victory over Jacksonville at the Watsco Center. He played 25 minutes and scored 12 points, including the final five points of the game. He also grabbed five rebounds, had two assists, and made numerous slick passes — a few of which his teammates were not ready for.
Sophomore guard Isaiah Wong led the Canes with 25 points on 9-of-18 shooting and had nine rebounds. Entering the game, Wong was averaging 17.8 points per game, fifth best in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Anthony Walker recorded his second consecutive double-double. He went 5 of 10 for a career-high 18 points with nine rebounds, three blocks and a steal.
Timberlake is known for his ball handling, slashing style and defense, and the 6-6 Washington, D.C.-area native showed flashes of that every time he was on the floor.
He entered the game in the fourth minute, and got a quick introduction to college basketball when Jacksonville’s leading scorer Dontarius James — an Xavier transfer — shot a three-pointer over Timberlake’s outstretched arms.
But it wasn’t long before Timberlake showed why he was such a coveted prospect out of powerhouse DeMatha High School. Two minutes later, he drove the lane without hesitation, drawing a foul, and calmly sank two free throws. Early in the second half, he made a three-pointer to give Miami a 50-37 lead.
UM coaches clearly trust Timberlake, as they left him in the game when Jacksonville closed to within three late in the game, and he responded with a layup. With one minute remaining and the Dolphins closing the gap again, he drew another foul and made a pair of free throws to give UM a six-point cushion.
He ended the afternoon with an exclamation point. With 34 seconds to go, he stole the ball, dribbled across the court, drove the lane and unselfishly made an around-the-back pass to Elijah Olaniyi under the basket. Olaniyi missed the layup, Timberlake grabbed the rebound and put the ball in.
“We got a nice contribution from Earl in his first game as a Miami Hurricane,” UM coach Jim Larranaga said. “His presence on the court, some of his passes, his ball movement, his athletic ability were very helpful.
“He is a great competitor and is going to do everything possible to win the game. He is involved in almost every situation, defense, rebounding, handling the ball, shooting, getting other guys involved. He’s very, very active at both ends of the court. He’s rusty. It’s not like you’ve seen the best of Earl Timberlake. He’s a high-octane player.”
Walker said Timberlake brought “a lot of toughness and energy” to the team.
Wong added: “Earl is great to play with. He passes the ball, can shoot, can lay the ball in. He’s a big stocky guard who can guard any position, which really helps us.”
The Canes had been struggling from three-point range, going 9-of-60 (15 percent) in the previous three games. But they found their shooting touch against the Dolphins. Miami made four three-pointers in a row to close out the first half — two by Wong, one by freshman Matt Cross and one by sophomore guard Harlond Beverly.
Miami also improved at the free-throw line, going 21 of 25. UM, which improved to 4-2, has a 10-day break before its next game Dec. 29 at Virginia Tech. Larranaga said he hopes to have guards Chris Lykes (ankle) and Kam McGusty (hamstring) back by then.
James led Jacksonville with 19 points (7-of-10 shooting) before fouling out with seven minutes left in the game. Bryce Workman added 14. The Dolphins dropped to 6-3.
This story was originally published December 19, 2020 at 6:31 PM.