North Carolina escapes in overtime against Miami
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina hit every big shot it needed in an unexpectedly dire situation at home against struggling Miami. That allowed the eighth-ranked Tar Heels to hang on for their best Atlantic Coast Conference start under Roy Williams.
Freshman Coby White matched his season high with 33 points and Luke Maye and Kenny Williams each hit critical 3-pointers to help the Tar Heels edge the Hurricanes 88-85 in overtime Saturday. The victory pushed the Tar Heels (19-4) to 9-1 in the ACC for the first time in their 16 seasons under their Hall of Fame coach.
“I feel very fortunate to say the least,” Roy Williams said. “I questioned our kids’ toughness throughout the whole game, and was still doing it at the end. But I think they answered it pretty well down the stretch. They made plays, made shots.”
They sure did. Big ones, too.
First there was White, who scored 23 points with six 3-pointers in the second half alone. That included one with 41.0 seconds left in regulation to bring UNC to within 75-74.
Next was Maye, who hit the overtime-forcing 3 with 10.2 seconds left.
Finally there was Kenny Williams, the senior defensive stopper who had been quiet offensively before hitting the go-ahead 3 with 2:08 to go in overtime.
The Tar Heels struggled all day to slow 5-foot-7 Chris Lykes and the Hurricanes (10-13, 2-9). Lykes finished with 19 of his 27 points after halftime, including a 3 over 6-6 defender Nassir Little with 1:31 left that gave Miami a 72-71 lead.
But on Miami’s final possession, with UNC fouling to protect a threepoint lead, White poked the ball loose from Lykes. Williams dove on the floor to recover the ball for a game-sealing turnover that allowed UNC to kill the final seconds.
“Chris Lykes at one end, Coby White at the other was quite a show,” Miami coach Jim Larranaga said. “We came ever-so-close to accomplishing what we hoped to do today.”
› No. 6 Nevada 91, New Mexico 62 RENO, Nev. — Trey Porter had 20 points and nine rebounds as Nevada avenged its only loss of the season in a dominating win over New Mexico.
In a reversal of its 27-point defeat last month, Nevada (23-1, 10-1 Mountain West) jumped to a 25-4 lead and led 51-26 at halftime.
Caleb Martin scored 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, and Jordan Caroline had 13 points and 13 rebounds. Jazz Johnson added 13 points, and Tre’Shawn Thurman finished with 10.
Nevada shot 50 percent, while New Mexico shot 33.3 percent.
Nevada converted 20 turnovers by New Mexico into 22 points.
The Wolf Pack outrebounded the Lobos 49-35. Nevada won points in the paint, 42-20, and converted 17 of 24 free throws.
Makuach Maluach led New Mexico (10-13, 4-7) with 19 points.
› No. 7 Michigan 61, No. 19 Wisconsin 52
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Jon Teske had 17 points and 12 rebounds, holding his own inside against Ethan Happ, and Charles Matthews scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half to lift Michigan over Wisconsin.
The Big Ten-leading Wolverines (22-2, 11-2) avenged one of their only losses this season despite going 0-for-10 from 3-point range in the second half. Michigan led 51-50 in a tight defensive struggle before pulling away with eight straight points.
Happ had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Wisconsin, but the Badgers (17-7, 9-4) had their six-game winning streak snapped. That run began with a 64-54 win over then-undefeated Michigan last month.
› No. 9 Michigan St. 79, Minnesota 55
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Nick Ward had 22 points and Matt McQuaid scored a season-high 18, leading Michigan State to a win over Minnesota.
The Spartans (19-5, 10-3 Big Ten) ended a threegame losing streak, their longest skid in two years.
The Golden Gophers (16-8, 6-7) have lost a season-high three games. Michigan State was very motivated to play well in part because Magic Johnson was in the stands, attending the game as part of a celebration for the 1979 national championship team.
Ward opened the game with a basket, grabbed eight of his nine rebounds over the first 20 minutes, and closed the first half with a block to help Michigan State lead Minnesota 35-24. Ward made the first two shots after halftime and the Spartans went on to lead by 28 points midway through the second half.
Minnesota’s Gabe Kalscheur scored 17 points and Daniel Oturu had 12 points.
› No. 10 Marquette 66, No. 14 Villanova 65
MILWAUKEE — Markus Howard scored 38 points and Marquette hung on at the buzzer, edging Villanova and handing the Wildcats their first Big East Conference loss.
Marquette (20-4, 9-2) led by 15 early in the second half. The Golden Eagles took a 66-63 lead on two free throws by Howard with 53 seconds left, but Phil Booth answered with a floater in the lane that made it a one-point game.
Jermaine Samuels then stripped Howard on the ensuing possession with 14 seconds left. After a timeout, Booth drove but was trapped underneath, and passed the ball back to Samuels, who missed an off-balance jumper from the right side as time ran out.
Booth had 19 points and Eric Paschall 17 for Villanova (19-5, 10-1), which had won 11 straight since a 74-71 loss to Kansas on Dec. 15.
› Clemson 59,
No. 11 Virginia Tech 51
CLEMSON, S.C. — Shelton Mitchell scored 22 points with a career-best five 3-pointers and Clemson outlasted Virginia Tech for the Tigers’ fourth straight victory.
The Hokies (18-5, 7-4 ACC) made just one field goal in the final 8:33 in losing consecutive games for the first time this season.
The Tigers (15-8, 5-5) were ranked when the season began but were written off by many when they opened ACC play at 1-5. Clemson is finally looking like the team that surprised many when it reached the NCAA tournament’s round of 16 last March.
› No. 13 Kansas 84, Oklahoma State 72
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Dedric Lawson scored 25 points, Ochai Agbaji hit five 3s and had 23 points, and Kansas shrugged off a slow start to beat Oklahoma State.
Devon Dotson added 18 points while Mitch Lightfoot provided a big lift off the bench for the Jayhawks (18-6, 7-4 Big 12), who were playing their first game without starting guard Lagerald Vick. He left the team earlier in the week to deal with personal issues.
Oklahoma State (9-14, 2-8) played Kansas to a draw in the first half before Lawson, Agbaji and the rest of the Jayhawks caught fire. The Cowboys’ own depth issues surfaced when Cameron McGriff got into foul trouble, allowing the Jayhawks to slowly draw away late.
McGriff finished with 22 points before fouling out. Lindy Waters added 13 for Oklahoma State.
› No 22. Florida St. 80, No. 16 Louisville 75 OT
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Mfiondu Kabengele scored 22 points and Florida State erased a 10-point second-half deficit to force overtime, then knocked off Louisville.
Terance Mann added 20 points for the Seminoles (18-5, 6-4 ACC), who made 11 of 12 free throws in overtime to wrap up their fifth straight win.
Kabengele shot 7-of-12 from the floor and pulled down seven rebounds. It was the 16th time he has come off the bench to score in double figures.
Christen Cunningham scored 20 points, including 13 in the first half, for Louisville (17-7, 8-3).
› No. 18 Texas Tech 66, Oklahoma 54
NORMAN, Okla. — Davide Moretti scored 14 points to help Texas Tech roll past Oklahoma.
Jarrett Culver had 13 points and Matt Mooney and Brandone Francis each added 11 for the Red Raiders (19-5, 7-4 Big 12), who stayed within striking range of conference leader Kansas State. Texas Tech held Oklahoma to 36 percent shooting to claim its fourth victory in five games.
Rashard Odomes scored 14 points and Brady Manek had 11 points and 11 rebounds for Oklahoma (15-9, 3-8), which lost its fourth straight.
› TCU 92,
No. 17 Iowa State 83
AMES, Iowa — Kendric Davis scored a season-high 22 points, and TCU stunned Iowa State for its first road win over a Top 25 team in 21 years.
Kouat Noi, Desmond Bane and Alex Robinson each had 17 for the Horned Frogs (17-6, 5-5 Big 12). They used a staggering 27-4 firsthalf run to blow past the beleaguered Cyclones and greatly boost their NCAA tournament chances.
Marial Shayok scored 24 points and Michael Jacobson had 16 to lead the Cyclones (18-6, 7-4).
› No. 23 Buffalo 90, Central Michigan 76
AMHERST, N.Y. — Jeremy Harris had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Buffalo rallied to beat Central Michigan.
C.J. Massinburg scored 18 points and Dontay Caruthers added 16 as Buffalo (20-3, 8-2 Mid-American Conference) won its 22nd game in a row at Alumni Arena.
Shawn Roundtree Jr. scored 26 points to lead the Chippewas (16-7, 5-5).