CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) Norchad Omier had 17 points and 13 rebounds, Matthew Cleveland scored 15 and No. 15 Miami routed Long Island University 97-49 on Wednesday night.

The Hurricanes (7-1) were never threatened after they scored 21 straight points to start the game and led 53-18 at halftime. Omier had nine points and Wooga Poplar and Nijel Pack hit consecutive 3-pointers during Miami’s early surge.

Poplar finished with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting and Pack had 13 for the Hurricanes, who scored 21 points off turnovers in the first half. Freshman reserve Kyshawn George also added 13 points.

During its dominant first half, Miami outscored LIU 17-0 in transition.

“Coming into this game we knew we had some things to work on, especially on the defensive end,” Pack said. “We made it a huge focus the last few days of practice and I thought we made some improvements today.”

It was the Hurricanes’ largest margin of victory since they beat Western Carolina 92-43 in November 2016.

“We defended, we rebounded - but yes, they were a little bit overmatched tonight,” Miami coach Jim Larrañaga said.

LIU (1-7) missed its first six shots and committed seven turnovers before Tai Strickland’s 3-pointer broke the scoring drought 7:37 into the first half.

Poplar’s jumper with 6:06 remaining in the half increased the lead to 42-12.

With the loss, LIU completed the first half of a six-game road trip. The Sharks will have a 48-day gap between home games before they face UAlbany on Dec. 28 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

LIU has been outscored by an average of 21 points in its seven losses.

Strickland and Andre Washington finished with 14 points apiece for the Sharks. Strickland is the son of second-year LIU coach and former NBA guard Rod Strickland.

“I like the group,” Rod Strickland said. “We have some growing pains happening, guys trying to figure it out. We’ve had some good moments and some really bad moments.”

BONUS TIME

The lopsided margin at halftime enabled Larrañaga to give his second unit extended minutes in the second half. George played 20 minutes and shot 4 of 6 from the field. Christian Watson logged 16 minutes, while AJ Casey and Michael Nwoko each played 13.

“What players tend to think is it’s all about playing time, where it’s really about performance,” Larrañaga said. “Play really well and then you’ll earn playing time. We tried to give them enough playing time so they can show what they’re capable of.”

BIG PICTURE

LIU: The Sharks had an extended South Florida stay on their trip. LIU began a two-game set in the Miami area by losing 74-59 to Florida International on Saturday.

Miami: For the second consecutive game, Omier played a foul-free first half. Omier, the team’s lone interior presence in the starting lineup, had been getting into foul trouble until he limited his infractions Saturday against Notre Dame.

UP NEXT

LIU: Will visit UMass Lowell next Tuesday.

Miami: Will face Colorado in the NABC Brooklyn Showcase in New York on Sunday.

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