Late surge lifts UM past Wake Forest

CORAL GABLES — Now they can finally start to think about that highly anticipated matchup against Duke.

In the days leading up to Saturday’s game against Wake Forest, that’s something the Hurricanes insisted they weren’t doing.

Instead, after having lost two of their last three, Miami’s players said the focus was on improving their offensive performance, working to cut down turnovers and finishing opponents, something they didn’t do in last week’s two road losses at Virginia and Clemson.

And though there were times Miami looked sloppy and out of sorts, the No. 15 Hurricanes were impressive in the game’s final minutes to secure a 77-63 win over Wake Forest at the BankUnited Center.

The win marked the Hurricanes’ seventh consecutive home win — a streak they hope to continue adding to when they host the 20th-ranked Blue Devils, who like the Hurricanes, have struggled in January.

It’s the Hurricanes’ second-longest home winning streak under coach Jim Larrañaga, whose 2012-13 team won 13 games in a row on its home court.

Ja’Quan Newton, who has emerged as one of the Hurricanes’ top offensive options off the bench, finished with a game-high 18 points while Miami’s two veteran leaders — Sheldon McClellan and Angel Rodriguez — each added 14. Tonye Jekiri had a gamehigh 12 rebounds for the Hurricanes, who seemingly found their rhythm after Wake Forest (10-9, 1-6 ACC) tied the game at 48 with 10:19 left.

After Rondale Watson converted on 1-of-2 from the line at that point, Miami answered with a jumper from Newton, a layup from Rodriguez and a pair of free throws by McClellan that pushed Miami’s lead to 54-48. And though Wake Forest would cut the lead to five twice late, including at the 6:17 mark after a dunk by Doral Moore, the Demon Deacons would get no closer.

“Our defense in the second half was the difference,” Larrañaga said.

“In the first half, [Wake Forest] shot 48 percent overall, 40 percent from the 3. In the second half, 31 percent overall, 30 percent from 3 and 54 percent from the foul line. That kind of defense I think is what separated us when it was 48-all. They didn’t get as many easy baskets as they’d gotten throughout the game. Our defense tightened up and we finished strong offensively.”

Though the final 10 minutes were the difference and where the Hurricanes (15-3, 4-2) were at their best, there were long stretches early that were anything but pretty.

While McClellan struggled early, Miami got help from its bench, including Newton, who scored five in the first half, while James Palmer added seven.

In all, Miami got 33 points from its bench while Wake Forest got 22 from its reserves. The Hurricanes also tied a season-high with 12 steals and had a seasonhigh 20 offensive rebounds.

“Definitely ... up-tempo game. We gave up too many transition points that we shouldn’t have given up, so we’re thankful to come out with a win,” McClellan said.