Coming off two consecutive losses on the road, the men’s basketball team failed to capitalize on their first game back at home. The Miami Hurricanes lost to the Florida State Seminoles 62-55 on Wednesday night.
Jack McClinton led the Hurricanes (15-7, 2-6 ACC) in scoring with 16 points. FSU (13-10, 2-6 ACC) was led by point guard Toney Douglas, who scored 28.
Coming into the game, both teams were in desperate need of a win. The Hurricanes had lost five of their previous six games, while the Seminoles were on a three-game losing streak, dropping six of their last seven.
“It’s a tough loss,” said Miami Head Coach Frank Haith. “We lost a home game that we needed to win.”
Despite the game’s importance, both teams came out flat in the first half, consistently turning the ball over and shooting the ball poorly. The Hurricanes went the first six and a half minutes without a field goal, and finished the half shooting a dismal 31 percent from the field.
Florida State wasn’t much better. Despite recording five blocks in the first half, the Seminoles only shot 37 percent themselves. The two teams combined for a whopping 20 turnovers in the first half alone.
After taking a 30-25 lead into the half, Florida State managed to play better in the second half. The Seminoles went on an 11-0 run to take an eight point lead with under 10 minutes remaining. The Canes tried to make a late run, cutting the lead to three with 34 seconds left in the game. But FSU made the most of their late free-throw opportunities.
“I thought we beat a very good team tonight,” said Florida State Head Coach Leonard Hamilton. “I thought our players, out of respect for them, did a real good job defending.”
Inability to score plagued the Hurricanes, who ended up shooting 31 percent in the game. Their 55 points scored tied their lowest point total all season.
Another major factor to their loss was the lack of production from their post players. Dwayne Collins and Jimmy Graham combined for only eight points, while Anthony King was scoreless, attempting only one shot.
“We didn’t get anything out of our post players,” Haith said. “It really puts a strain on our perimeter guys.”
That pressure was evidenced by McClinton’s shooting struggles. Despite leading the team in scoring, McClinton shot a disappointing 4-for-15 from the field. His partner in the backcourt, James Dews, fouled out while shooting only 2-for-8.
Miami will go back on the road this weekend to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday.
“We’ve just got to play better, that’s all it comes down to,” McClinton said. “We’ve got to put this game behind us.”
Joel Brown may be reached at j.brown22@umiami.edu.