ATLANTA – Freshman Manu Lecomte scored a career-high 16 points, Donnavan Kirk added 14 points and Miami used its tight zone defense to beat Georgia Tech 56-42 on Saturday.
The Hurricanes (10-7, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) showed why it ranks ninth in average points allowed, causing Georgia Tech to miss 27 of its first 35 shots from the field.
Trae Golden finished with 12 points for the Yellow Jackets (10-8, 1-4), who used an eight-man rotation following injuries or sickness suffered by Robert Carter Jr., Jason Morris and Solomon Poole.
The Hurricanes never trailed after Lecomte's layup made it 7-5 early in the first, taking their first double-digit lead on a pair of free throws by Lemonte with 3 seconds left before intermission.
Rion Brown, a native of Hinesville, Ga., had 12 points for Miami, which finished with just four assists, but most of their baskets came off the dribble.
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