Miami shocks North Carolina at buzzer
CHAPEL HILL, N. C. — Ja’Quan Newton hit a running 30- footer at the buzzer to help Miami upset No. 9 North Carolina 91- 88 in a wild finish on Tuesday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Newton’s heave came immediately after the Tar Heels’ Joel Berry II hit a tough three- pointer of his own to tie the game with 4.1 seconds left.
Miami, which squandered a 16- point lead in the second half, pushed the ball upcourt for Newton's shot over Berry.
Chris Lykes scored 18 points to lead the Hurricanes ( 21- 8, 10- 7). Berry matched his career high with 31 points for UNC ( 22- 8, 11- 6), which had a sixgame winning streak snapped.
Teyvion Kirk and Mike Laster had 16 points each, and Ohio ( 13- 16, 6- 11) took a 39- 27 halftime lead in dominating Bowling Green ( 16- 14, 7- 10) in the Mid- American Conference. Demajeo Wiggins had 18 points and 15 rebounds for the Falcons.
Danny Pippen scored 17 points, had a career- best 18 rebounds, blocked a potential game- winning shot in regulation then scored seven points in overtime as host Kent State ( 15- 15, 9- 8) edged Miami ( 15- 15, 8- 9) in the MAC. Kevin Zabo scored 21 points for the Zips. Dalonte Brown had 19 points for the RedHawks, who after Pippen’s block nearly won the game in regulation when Nike Sibande drained a three- pointer at the buzzer, but it came after time expired.
Tre'Shaun Fletcher had a tripledouble with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists to power visiting Toledo ( 21- 9, 13- 4) over Northern Illinois ( 12- 18, 5- 12) in the MAC. The Rockets led 48- 27 at halftime and followed with a 49- point second half. Eugene German had 27 points for the Huskies.
CJ Massinburg scored 26 points with fi ve threepointers and grabbed 10 rebounds as host Buffalo ( 22- 8, 14- 3) beat Akron ( 12- 17, 5- 12) to clinch the No. 1 seed in the MAC tournament. The Bulls made eight of their last 10 shots to pull away from a 60- 60 tie. Daniel Utomi had 19 points for Akron.
Daniel Gafford had 21 points — with seven dunks — 10 rebounds and seven blocks to lead Arkansas ( 21- 9, 10- 7) to its sixth win in seven games, a Southeastern Conference victory over visiting Auburn ( 24- 6, 12- 5). Mustapha Heron scored 28 points for the Tigers, who could have clinched a share of the regular season title with a win.
NIT postseason tournament games in March will use experimental rules that include an extended three- point line, a wider free- throw lane and 10- minute quarters instead of 20- minute halves, the NCAA announced. The three- point arc will move to roughly 22 feet, which is used in international competition, and the lane will expand from 12 feet to the NBA’s 16 feet. Also, the shot clock will reset to 20 seconds after offensive rebounds instead of the full 30 seconds. The NCAA said that offi - cials will review whether wider lanes “reduce physicality and create more driving opportunities,” and assess whether the rules impact “the pace and flow of the game.”