CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Matthew Cleveland scored 14 points, Norchad Omier and Nijel Pack added 13, and No. 8 Miami beat Notre Dame 62-49 on Saturday in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.

Omier added 13 rebounds for the Hurricanes (6-1, 1-0), who finished with a 16-0 edge in fast-break points.

Updated

“You have to play the game, and you have to play the opponent,” head coach Jim Larrañaga said. “We knew this game would be much slower-paced and lower scoring and we needed to adjust to that. We didn’t shoot great, not terrible, 38 percent from three and 46 percent overall, but we’re very capable of doing much better. To be where we want to be, we just have to improve our defense.”

J.R. Konieczny scored 14 for Notre Dame (3-4, 0-1). Tae Davis finished with 12 points and ten rebounds for the Fighting Irish.

With former Hurricane standouts like Bruce Brown — in town with the Indiana Pacers to play the Miami Heat — and Davon Reed sitting courtside, Miami held Notre Dame to 29% shooting, 19% on 3-pointers.

Braeden Shrewsberry’s 3-pointer with 7:25 left in the first half put Notre Dame up 20-19. But Miami — in what has been a calling card for the Hurricanes this season, the big spurt — took the lead right back with a 12-0 run, with five different players scoring during the burst that started when Kyshawn George hit a 3-pointer.

It was the eighth time this season that Miami had a run of at least 10-0 during a game. This one put the Hurricanes on top to stay, though the game remained relatively close until the end.

Another key for Miami in the early going: Omier didn’t have a foul before halftime for the second time this season.

The Hurricanes are plus-59 this season in the first half with Omier on the floor, only plus-8 when he isn’t — and in the last three games, that disparity is even more apparent. It’s plus-41 with Omier on the floor, minus-20 otherwise in those opening halves.

BIG PICTURE

Notre Dame: It was Notre Dame’s 21st consecutive loss in true road games against ranked teams, a stretch that started with a 79-70 loss at Miami on Feb. 3, 2016.

Miami: The Hurricanes are off to a 6-1 start for the second consecutive season. It’s the first time Miami has done that since 2015-16 (6-1) and 2016-17 (7-0).

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Miami will remain in the AP Top 25 for a 19th consecutive poll when the latest version is released Monday, extending its school record. The 95-73 loss at No. 12 Kentucky earlier in the week will almost certainly cost the Hurricanes a few spots.

Notre Dame hasn’t been ranked since December 2017. Monday’s new poll will be the 113th in a row to not include the Irish among the Top 25.

UP NEXT

Notre Dame: Host Western Michigan on Tuesday.

Miami: Host LIU on Wednesday.

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