Malcolm Grant scored 22 points to lead Miami to a 94-59 victory over Pepperdine on Thursday night.
Grant and teammate Durand Scott nearly missed the game because their flights to Miami were delayed for three days. They could not leave their homes in the Northeast because of the blizzard which hit the region Sunday. The Hurricanes guards expected to return to Miami on Sunday following a short Christmas break but arrived in Miami Thursday afternoon, four hours before tipoff.
Miami (11-3) never trailed as Grant hit three early 3-pointers to help the Hurricanes build a 27-13 lead with 8:43 remaining in the first half.
The Waves (5-11) reduced the margin with a 10-2 run in the next 4:05. Keion Bell's two free throws capped the spurt and cut Miami's lead to 29-23 with 4:38 left.
Miami responded with 12 points behind 3-pointers from Scott and Adrian Thomas. Thomas' 3-pointer with 49 seconds left in the half increased the Hurricanes' lead to 43-23.
Scott's 3-point play widened Miami's lead to 62-31 with 11:38 remaining in the second half. The Hurricanes had their largest lead, 82-42, after Raphael Akpejiori's two free throws with 5:24 left.
Grant was one of four Hurricanes who scored in double figures. Scott finished with 15 points and Reggie Johnson scored 12 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds. Erik Swoope scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half.
Mychel Thompson led the Waves with 15 points.
Miami will begin its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule Sunday at defending national champion Duke. Pepperdine returns home for a nonconference game against Seattle on Sunday before opening its West Coast Conference schedule with a home game against San Diego Jan. 6
