Brent Bland came off the bench and absolutely went OFF for No. 17 Miami on Friday, dropping a career-high eight 3-pointers in just 20 minutes to torch North Alabama 94-52. It wasn’t just Bland either, as the Hurricanes blew past their own school record for threes, hitting an absurd 20 from deep in the victory. You read that right: TWENTY.
Bland And The Bench Go Nuclear
This was a lights-out performance, pure and simple. Bland, a fifth-year graduate transfer from Saint Peter’s, racked up 26 points and shot a ridiculous 8 of 13 from long range. He wasn’t alone in the three-point party either. Fellow reserve Nick Dorn chipped in with 18 points, all of them on 3s, going 6 for 12 himself. These guys were just cooking!
Miami finished the game 20 of 47 (43%) from beyond the arc. That’s not just good, that’s history-making. They shattered their previous school record of 18 3-pointers, which was set back in 2019 against Coppin State. Think about this: The Hurricanes had only made 14 3-pointers *total* over their first three games combined. Then they dropped 13 in the first half alone against North Alabama. Bland absolutely ignited the explosion, draining his first five 3s during a massive 22-2 run midway through the first half that just blew the game wide open. Dorn capped off that surge with a 3-pointer of his own, pushing Miami ahead 38-16 with 5:54 left in the first. Shelton Henderson also put in serious work, adding 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Total Hurricane Domination, But At What Cost?
The Hurricanes didn’t just win, they completely dominated. They built a commanding 54-26 lead by halftime, a lead that felt insurmountable right out of the gates. Dante Allen, coming off the bench too, was a maestro with 12 assists, plus six rebounds and seven points. Miami piled up 27 assists as a team and outscored North Alabama 19-9 on fast-break points. Early in the second half, Allen’s two free throws gave them their first 30-point lead at 61-30, and Bland’s layup later stretched it to an incredible 83-36 with 5:22 to go.
North Alabama, despite Cortez Graham-Howard scoring 10 points and Drey Carter ending a brutal eight-minute-plus scoring drought, just couldn’t hang. It was a tough homecoming for North Alabama coach Tony Pujol, who grew up in Miami and even won three state championships coaching high school ball there.
The only real sour note for Miami came with Malik Reneau, their leading scorer from last season. He was held without a point, exiting midway through the first half with a shoulder injury and not returning. You just hope that’s nothing serious, because losing a guy like that, especially after a record-breaking night, would be a real bummer.
Next up, Miami hosts Rider on Tuesday. They’ll be looking to carry this insane shooting momentum forward, and hopefully get an update on Reneau. This early in the season, you want to see consistency and health, especially after a statement win like this one.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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