Hurricanes’ heave at buzzer stuns Tar Heels
Ja’Quan Newton hit a running 30-footer at the horn to help Miami upset No. 9 North Carolina 91-88 in a wild finish Tuesday night.
Newton’s heave off his left foot came immediately after North Carolina’s Joel Berry II hit a tough three of his own to tie the game with 4.1 seconds left. Miami pushed the ball upcourt for Newton’s shot over Berry, then the Hurricanes immediately mobbed Newton near midcourt.
“I was just like: ‘I’ve got to shoot it,’ ” said Newton, who finished with 15 points.
It capped a game that saw Miami (21-8, 10-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) squander a 16-point, secondhalf lead, only to win a big one with the ACC tournament just a week away.
Chris Lykes scored 18 points to lead Miami, which shot 55 percent.
Berry matched his career high with 31 points for the Tar Heels (22-8, 11-6), who lost their final home game to snap a six-game win streak.
at Arkansas 91, No. 14 Auburn 82: Daniel Gafford had 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks in the Razorbacks’ sixth win in seven games. The Tigers lost their third in four games.
No. 16 Tennessee 76, at Mississippi State 54: Admiral Schofield had 24 points as the Volunteers handed the Bulldogs just their second home loss.
St. Joseph’s 78, at No. 17 Rhode Island 48: James Demery scored 21 points and the Hawks stunned the Rams, who last week clinched their first outright Atlantic 10 title and this month had a school record 16-game winning streak.