Miami men’s basketball trailed for more than 34 minutes and faced a deficit as large as 16 points on Saturday afternoon at the Watsco Center. But when the clock expired, the Hurricanes’ six-game winning streak was still intact.
Forward Jordan Miller led the comeback effort with a season-high 25 points, as the ‘Canes ended the game on an 18-6 run to shock the NC State Wolfpack, 80-73.
Guard Isaiah Wong added 22 points after scoring a career-high 36 against Cornell on Wednesday.
“That was a very entertaining college [basketball] game,” Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga said. “Two teams played at a very high level, and we were fortunate to be the ones that came out on top.”
However, it was NC State (8-3, 0-2 ACC) that initially controlled the game.
The Hurricanes’ offense looked stagnant early on, and the Wolfpack made them pay. NC State guard Terquavion Smith netted 16 points in the first half, which included a trio of 3-pointers that helped the Wolfpack jump out to a 19-9 lead.
Miami (10-1, 2-0 ACC) had no answer for NC State’s 6-foot-9, 275-point forward DJ Burns, who utilized the pick-and-roll to perfection by creating mismatches in the paint. He finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.
Additionally, NC State’s full-court press and pesky defense forced countless turnovers, including four in just over three minutes at one point in the first half.
But the ‘Canes began to shift the momentum after a timeout late in the first half. Miami turned the ball over twice the rest of the way and picked up the pace on both sides of the ball, forcing turnovers that led to fast break layups.
With under two minutes to play in the first half, the Watsco Center erupted when forward Norchad Omier slammed a two-handed dunk after Jordan Miller threw him a behind-the-back pass.
The Hurricanes proceeded to outscore NC State 17-12 in the first half’s final minutes, narrowing the deficit to 43-34 at the break.
Miami opened the second half with a pair of triples, but the Wolfpack stood firm, making timely shots to hold off the Hurricanes’ comeback until 3:40 left in the game.
That’s when Miller nailed a corner 3-pointer to put the ‘Canes up 70-67 for the first time since the 18-minute mark in the first half. Wong’s pullup jumper on the next possession completed a 10-0 run in 2:20.
“Me being the oldest on the team, I’d say I’m the leader, and I try to make sure everybody is levelheaded,” Miller said. “We’ve had games where we’ve come back from far worse, and we’re just such a high-octane scoring team, so we know if we do our work on the defensive side, the offense will come.”
Miami certainly did its job on the defensive end in the second half, holding NC State to 30 points thanks to lockdown defending by guard Harlond Beverly and sophomore Bensley Joseph. Smith only scored three points in the second half after torching the ‘Canes for 16 in the first.
“Bensley Joseph came in in the second half and just did a fantastic job. He exhausted himself guarding Smith,” Larranaga said. “Midway through the second half, when I thought Bensley needed a rest, we put Harlond on Smith, and he did a terrific job.”
Beverly also had a solid offensive performance, shooting a perfect 3 of 3 from the field, which included a dunk and 3-pointer, to aid in the comeback effort.
Next up, the ‘Canes face St. Francis (PA) at the Watsco Center on Saturday, Dec. 17. Tip-off is scheduled for noon.