UM dominates Bethune-Cookman 101-61. Donaldson, Reneau combine for 45 points
When the University of Miami scheduled an early November basketball game against Bethune-Cookman, it probably was not expecting to face a Wildcats team that had just scored 90 points and taken Top 20 Auburn to overtime in the season opener.
But that is what the Hurricanes encountered on Thursday night at the Watsco Center.
They rose to the challenge, overpowering and frustrating the Wildcats from start to finish in a 101-61 victory that showcased Miami’s imposing inside presence, relentless defense and willingness to share the ball.
“We played against an NCAA team tonight,” said Bethune-Cookman coach Reggie Theus, the two-time NBA All-Star. “I think they’re pretty good. They’ve got size. They’ve got depth. They’re physical. They’ve got speed. They’re a very good basketball team and it showed because we’re a pretty physical team ourselves, but we weren’t in the same ballpark with them.”
Miami outscored Bethune-Cookman 58-26 in the paint and held the Wildcats to 32 percent shooting. Offensively, the Hurricanes had 25 assists to just six turnovers.
“They got 58 points in the paint; there’s no fix for that,” Theus said.
Michigan transfer guard Tre Donaldson led Miami with 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting and had four assists. Forward Malik Reneau, a Miami native who returned home after playing at Indiana, also had a big game with 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting with six rebounds, five assists, and two blocks.
“I was just being aggressive, being who I am, that’s what this team needs from me,” Donaldson said. “My leadership was really good. I’m a pass first point guard, so me being aggressive helps our team. There were wide-open layups and buckets, I was getting good looks and getting my teammates involved.”
Freshman Dante Allen, a Miami native and son of Heat assistant coach Malik Allen, struggled in his collegiate debut against Jacksonville on Monday but looked much more confident and at ease on Thursday. He went 5-of-6 for 12 points, had six defensive rebounds, four assists and two steals.
“My teammates, coaches, family helped me move on from the first-game jitters,” Allen said. “They reminded me that I’m out there for a reason, so make myself comfortable and work through it…that first basket helped me breathe, relax and let me play my game.”
Lucas noticed Allen looked dejected in the locker room after the opening game, so he gave him a pep talk.
“Dante had one of the best summers and preseason of all the players, so I told him, `Just take a deep breath. It’s your first game in college. It didn’t go as you dreamed. Flush it and move on to the next one,’” Lucas said. “So, I was happy for him to look like himself. He’s going to be a big part of our team moving forward.”
Center Ernest Udeh, Jr., a 6-11 and 266-pound TCU transfer, dominated the post with 10 rebounds and four blocks to go with his eight points.
In this era of the transfer portal, “you don’t know who anybody is, and you don’t know who your team is, either, because there are so many new players” said first-year UM coach Jai Lucas, who has an entirely new roster.
“You can practice and you can do stuff, but you really don’t know until you go through these first couple of games, who you are, what you can be, you can have an idea what you think is going to look like.”
Lucas said he was most excited about how his players started the game, taking charge from the opening whistle. Udeh, Jr., grabbed three defensive rebounds in a row resulting in a Reneau dunk, a Donaldson three-pointer and a Washington layup to put Miami up 7-0.
“I thought the start of the game was a big key, especially with them coming off an emotional game on the road with a Top 20 team, going to overtime, we knew they’re going to come in with a lot of confidence, and I was worried about giving them anything early,” Lucas said. “Three stops in a row were big for us.”
He warned his players that, like Miami, Bethune-Cookman has high-major transfers, including Arterio Morris, a McDonald’s All-American from Dallas who played at Texas, transferred to Kansas, ran into trouble with the law, wound up at a junior college, and on Monday lit it up against Auburn with 20 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
The Canes, who played relentless defense all night long, shut Morris down. He went 1-for-13, turned the ball over five times and finished with four points. Miami guard Tru Washington made life difficult for Morris.
“I challenged Tru Washington because I think he can be one of the best defensive guards in the country,” Lucas said. “I recruited [Morris] when I was at Texas, just had 20 at Auburn I know how talented he is, and he was 1-for-13 with negative-27 [plus-minus].”
At halftime, Miami was shooting 73 percent and held a 50-31 lead.
Lucas said the most promising stat of the night was 25 assists to six turnovers.
“That lets us see what we can be and where we’re headed,” he said. “We’re nowhere near where I think we can be, but I’m excited. And the student section was great. They were loud. I could hear them. So I’m excited about that.”
The Canes are home again Monday night against Stetson.
This story was originally published November 6, 2025 at 10:58 PM.