Late rally lifts Miami Hurricanes over Golden Eagles in season opener
The Miami Hurricanes used a lucky bounce and a late rally to pull out a 69-58 victory over Tennessee Tech Friday night in Steve Payne's first official game as Golden Eagle head coach.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
32 | 26 | 58 |
|
|
27 | 42 | 69 |
Team Stats
Miami (Fla.)
| Game Statistics | Tennessee Tech | Miami (Fla.) |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (19-47) | (21-54) |
| Field Goal % | 40.4% | 38.9% |
| Rebounds | 26 | 42 |
| Assists | 7 | 10 |
| Turnovers | 15 | 14 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 13 | 21 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 3 | 13 |
| Pts in the Paint | 17 | 24 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 9 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 20 | 26 |
MIAMI, Fla. – Perhaps the biggest play of the night
wasn’t made by any of the players.
A ball that was destined to sail out of bounds instead bounced off
an official back into play and the Miami Hurricanes took advantage,
using the lucky bounce to ignite a late rally on the way to an
11-point victory Friday night after Tennessee Tech had led for most
of the contest.
Down by six and in dire straits with less than eight minutes to
go, Miami used the ricochet to start a game-changing three-point
play. The ‘Canes took a lead with 4:26 remaining and rode
that turnaround to a 69-58 non-conference win that spoiled th head
coaching debut of Tech’s Steve Payne.
On the other bench, first-year Miami coach Jim Larranaga claimed
his 471st career win behind balanced scoring and solid
control on the boards with a 42-26 advantage.
Durand Scott led UM with 15 points, six rebounds and five assists
despite 3-for-12 shooting from the field against relentless Tech
defensive pressure. All-ACC guard Malcolm Grant added 14 points,
overcoming 4-for-11 shooting and five turnovers.
Also hitting double digits were Trey McKinney Jones with 12 points
and Erik Swoope with 11 points. Swoope added six rebound and three
steals.
Tech was paced in scoring by point guard Zac Swansey, who went
5-for-8 from 3-point range and hit 7-for-11 overall on the way to a
game-best 19 points. Kevin Murphy added 13 points and Zach Bailey
had 11 points, but both guards had trouble finding their shooting
touch. Murphy was 5-for-15 and Bailey went 4-for-10.
Tech missed its first six shots and saw the ‘Canes race to a
10-0 start as Scott and Grant each knocked down 3-pointers.
But the Golden Eagles worked their way back into the game as
Swansey scored the first five with a 3-pointer and a layup, and
Bailey added a 3-pointer to make it 13-8.
Down by nine, 22-13, the Golden Eagles outscored Miami 16-3 over
the final nine minutes to build a 32-27 lead by halftime. Murphy
had eight points during the run and Swansey added two more
3-pointers.
Tech maintained its lead into the second half, and got a spark
from sophomore guard Chase Dunn when he hit a 3-pointer with 12:34
to play and followed with a surprising, driving layup through
traffic half a minute later to build the TTU lead to its largest of
the night at 45-36.
Moments later, with Tech up 46-40, the ‘Canes got the
benefit of the bounce off the official and with 7:44 to play,
Raphael Akpejiori hit a three-point play to trim the lead to
three.
Twice Tech weathered the storm when UM cut the difference to one
point, but the Hurricanes kept at it and finally took the lead on a
3-pointer by Rion Brown with 4:26 to play for a 55-54 edge.
A minute later, McKinney Jones hit a 3-pointer – like
Brown’s, his first of the night – and UM was up by
four.
Tech fought back with back-to-back baskets by Murphy and Bailey,
and got the ball on a turnover with 1:45 remaining for a chance to
tie it again, but the Golden Eagles missed their final five shots
of the night and Miami was able to pad their lead to the final
11-point difference.
The Golden Eagles return home to host Reinhardt College Tuesday at
7 p.m. in Eblen Center. The game is First Tennessee Bank Poster
Night.
For individual game tickets or season tickets, visit the Athletics
Ticket Office in Eblen Center or call (931) 372-3940.
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