Walker lifts UM to thrilling comeback win
CORAL GABLES — The plan had been to get the ball in the hands of DJ Vasiljevic, knowing if one of the Miami Hurricanes men’s basketball team’s leading 3-point shooters missed, there’d be enough time left to foul and give Miami another opportunity in the final seconds.
But Lonnie Walker IV had different ideas. And because of that, the Hurricanes may have significantly bolstered their NCAA Tournament resume ahead of the final week of the regular season.
With 2.3 seconds left and the Hurricanes down two, Walker — Miami’s standout freshman — hit on a deep 3-pointer from NBA range to lift the Hurricanes to a critical 79-78 win over Boston College on Saturday afternoon at the Watsco Center on Miami’s campus.
The shot capped a remarkable comeback for the Hurricanes (20-8, 9-7 ACC), who trailed the Eagles by 14 with a little under six minutes left.
With the victory, the Hurricanes have now won two thrillers in the span of a week and have secured their sixth 20-win season in their past seven seasons under coach Jim Larrañaga.
Now, the hope is the Hurricanes will have some extra confidence as they travel to face 10th-ranked North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Tuesday before closing the season out next Saturday at home against Virginia Tech.
“I knew there was a few seconds left and I knew I definitely wanted to take the last shot. That’s just how I am,” said Walker, who finished with 14 points and was one of four Hurricanes in double figures. “I want to be the guy to take the final shot and I believe in myself more than anyone else. … I got into my rhythm and it came from there. It definitely wasn’t the game plan, but when I got the chance to look [at the bench], I think this team became the strongest team on Earth. Kind of got punched in my chest numerous times, head butts and everything. That’s the energy we need.”
There were times though on Saturday that Miami looked anything but energetic.
A lackluster start to the second half allowed Boston College to go on a 14-3 run that helped the Eagles (16-13, 6-10) build a 56-46 lead with 11:29 left.
Minutes later, that lead grew to 14 after a lay-up from Jerome Robinson, who finished with a gamehigh 30 points. A pair of Robinson free throws with 5:51 left made it, 69-55, and sent many a Miami fan to the exits.
Then the Hurricanes began chipping away. A jumper from Anthony Lawrence, a layup from Chris Lykes and a 3-pointer from Vasiljevic on three consecutive possessions cut the lead to, 69-62, with 3:36 left.
Not long after, Lykes would convert on a 3-point play and Lawrence would hit from three-point range to pull Miami within five with 1:34 left.
That — and some missed Boston College free throws late — helped set the scene for Walker’s heroic shot. Robinson, meanwhile, was held scoreless in the final three minutes.
Lykes finished with 15 points, Lawrence added 13 and Dewan Huell had a team-high 16 points and nine rebounds for Miami, which connected on four of its last five field goals.
“[Walker] was not having a spectacular game. He got 14 points, but there were a couple of miscues during the middle part of the half and sometimes, you just need someone to step up. Sometimes you need a bunch of guys to step up,” Larrañaga said. “In this case, Chris Lykes made some sensational plays, baskets and defensive plays. DJ Vasiljevic made a big three for us and I thought Dewan Huell had a very good, wellbalanced game overall. We’re just very fortunate. That gives us 20 wins and only two games remain now.”
Added Lykes, “This is a really big win for us. It’s two in a row. This win, I think, showed a lot of character from my teammates and this team. I think it’s going to help us down the road going into March. It just shows that when we play together and we play with intensity like that, I think we can beat anybody.”
ccabrera@sunsentinel.com, Twitter @ChristyChirinos