• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Long-range shooting helps Hurricanes crush Tar Heels

Feb 9, 2013 - 11:53 PM Coral Gables, FL (Sports Network) - Shane Larkin scored 18 points and eighth-ranked Miami-Florida tied a school record for 3-pointers made in an 87-61 shellacking of North Carolina at BankUnited Center.

The Hurricanes (19-3, 10-0 ACC) made good on 15-of-26 shots from 3-point range and never trailed at any stage to remain unbeaten in ACC play and run their current winning streak to 11 straight games. Larkin went 5-of-8 from beyond the arc and added nine assists to lead four Miami players in double figures.

Durand Scott and Kenny Kadji chipped in 17 points each to help the Hurricanes -- the only remaining major conference team without a blemish in league play -- record their first-ever season sweep of the Tar Heels, with Rion Brown contributing 11 points off the bench to the rout.

"We just played very well today," said Hurricanes head coach Jim Larranaga. "We were doing everything we planned on doing and at a very high level."

Reggie Bullock paced previously surging North Carolina (16-7, 6-4), which had won three straight and six of seven coming in, with 14 points and seven rebounds.

The Hurricanes didn't disappoint a sellout crowd that included Miami Heat stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, with Miami putting on an early shooting clinic to roar out to a comfortable lead it would not relinquish.

Miami hit four of its five field goal attempts in netting the game's first nine points, and quickly gained a double-digit differential after back-to-back jumpers by Scott and Brown made the score 13-2 just over six minutes into the contest.

The margin reached 13 points after Larkin knocked down one of 10 Miami triples during the first half, staking the Canes to a 22-9 advantage just past the midway mark of the opening period.

Consecutive treys from P.J. Hairston and Bullock cut North Carolina's deficit to seven, but the Tar Heels couldn't stop Miami from making shots as the game began to get out of hand.

The Hurricanes sank their next five tries from the floor -- four of which came from beyond the perimeter -- and another 3-pointer from Larkin capped a 17-8 push that put Miami up 39-23 with two minutes to go in the half. The Canes would go into the break ahead by a 44-27 score after Kadji connected from long distance just prior to the buzzer.

Miami finished the half 10-of-16 on 3-point tries, with Larkin burying four of his six shots from behind the arc while tallying 14 points over the initial 20 minutes.

"Larkin just dominated the game, I think he really, really did," a frustrated Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams said afterward. "Yet a lot of teams can stand up there with no defense on the court and make 15-of-26 from three. Things were smooth for them and they were hitting on all cylinders."

The Tar Heels never threatened after intermission either, with the Hurricanes extending their cushion to 26 points when a 10-2 run started by Kadji and Larkin 3-pointers created a 59-33 game early in the second half.

Miami maintained a lead of 20 or more points the rest of the way.

"The guys just never let up, and that is the mark of a good team," Larranaga remarked.

Game Notes

The Hurricanes had made 15 3-pointers twice previously, against Georgetown in 1993 and South Carolina State on Dec. 12, 2009 ... Miami's 10 conference victories are its most since joining the ACC in 2003-04, and the Hurricanes became the first league team to begin 10-0 since Duke did so in 2007-08 ... Miami's current 11-game streak is the program's longest since the Canes started out the 2007-08 campaign with a 12-0 record ... North Carolina had topped the Hurricanes 10 straight times prior to a 68-59 loss in Chapel Hill on Jan. 10 and had been 5-0 all-time at the BankUnited Center entering the contest. The Tar Heels still own an 18-4 advantage in the overall series ... UNC fell to 1-3 when facing a ranked opponent this season, with the lone win coming over then-No. 20 UNLV on Dec. 29.