Miami closes first half on big run to take care of Boston College

Tre Donaldson scored 15 points, Tru Washington added 14 as Miami beat Boston College 76-54 on Saturday afternoon in Coral Gables, Fla.

Ernest Udeh Jr. had 11 points and 12 rebounds, while reserve Noam Dovrat scored a season-high 12 points for the Hurricanes (23-6, 12-4 Atlantic Coast Conference).

The win bolstered Miami's chances of earning a double bye when the conference tournament starts on March 10. The Hurricanes were in third place in the conference on Saturday, behind No. 1 Duke and No. 11 Virginia.

The Hurricanes were never in danger after they erased an early deficit and finished the first half on a 19-2 run over the last eight minutes. Donaldson scored nine points during the surge, and his layup with three seconds left gave Miami a 36-19 halftime lead.

Washington's 3-pointer with 12:01 remaining in the second half gave the Hurricanes their first 20-point lead at 51-31. The junior guard shot 5 of 8 from the field, including 2 of 4 from long distance.

Dovrat made 4 of 5 shots from the field, all 3-pointers, in the second half to help Miami recover from a tough first half of long-range shooting. Dovrat's fourth trey with 3:15 left made it 72-47. The Hurricanes hit 6 of 12 3-point attempts after the intermission.

The win earned Miami a two-game regular season sweep of the Eagles (10-19, 3-13). The Hurricanes won at Boston College 74-68 on Feb. 7.

Boden Kapke scored 18 points, while Fred Payne and Jayden Hastings finished with 11 each for the Eagles, who have lost nine of 10. Boston College remains winless on the road in the conference at 0-8.

Although the Hurricanes shot only 1-for-8 from 3-point range in the first half, they outscored the Eagles 26-8 in the paint. They also forced 10 turnovers that resulted in 12 points.

The Eagles connected on 3 of 4 3-point tries in the first five minutes to open a seven-point advantage then missed 14 straight. Kapke connected on two from long distance, while Payne's conversion from beyond the arc made it 13-6.

After making five of their first eight shots, the Eagles went 3-for-19 from the field the remainder of the half.