HURRICANES OVERCOME BC ON LATE 3-POINTER
Freshman’s clutch shot caps 14-point comeback by UM.
CORAL GABLES — Lonnie Walker’s 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds remaining capped a 14-point comeback and lifted Miami over Boston College 79-78 Saturday afternoon.
The Hurricanes (20-8, 9-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) were rallying late in the second half when Walker retrieved the inbounds pass, dribbled toward the top of the key and launched his 3-pointer to cap Miami’s comeback. Walker finished with 14 points.
The Eagles (16-13, 6-10) couldn’t attempt a game-winning shot as Jerome Robinson failed to retrieve a lengthof-the-court inbounds pass.
Chris Lykes scored 11 of his 15 points in the final four minutes for Miami. Dewan Huell scored 16 points and Anthony Lawrence II was the Hurricanes’ fourth double-digit scorer with 13 points.
Jordan Chatman’s five points in a 10-2 run midway through the second half keyed the Eagles to their first double-digit lead. His two free throws with 9:52 remaining closed the surge and gave Boston College a 60-48 advantage.
Robinson’s two free throws with 6:16 gave the Eagles their largest lead at 67-53. Robinson scored a game-high 30 points, and Nik Popovic and Ky Bowman finished with 17 and 15 points respectively for Boston College.
Bowman’s consecutive layups and Robinson’s jumper helped the Eagles finish the first half on a 6-0 run for a 41-39 lead at halftime.
For the Hurricanes, the comeback victory was much needed, especially with the news on Friday that do-it-all guard Bruce Brown will not be able to return from his Feb. 1 foot surgery in time for the ACC tournament.
The sophomore is scheduled to be reevaluated March 12, meaning he will miss the rest of the regular season and the ACC tournament.
“Until then, there’s really no news,” UM coach Jim Larranaga said. “We’re just waiting for the bone to heal.”
Brown last played Jan. 27 at Florida State and has not returned to practice. The Hurricanes are 4-4 without him, and closer to the NCAA tournament bubble than expected.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Miami as a No. 8 seed. CBS’ Jerry Palm and USA Today’s Shelby Mast rank UM as a No. 9. The Washington Post’s Patrick Stevens has UM as one of the last four in.
“Bruce was really our emotional leader,” Larranaga said of Brown, who was leading UM in assists and rebounds and was second in scoring at the time of his injury. “He has such a high competitive spirit. … He likes challenges and he rises to the occasion whenever he’s challenged. When we lost him, we were able for a short period of time to make up for his loss. Guys really felt the responsibility.”