It's Final, Miami 72, UMass 71

By Jorge Bannister
FLORIDACOLLEGESPORTS STAFF

AMHERST, Mass. – It’s been a season of streaks for the University of Miami men’s basketball team.

The team entered tonight’s game against the University of Massachusetts having lost its last three games, including two at home – Binghamton and Nebraska.

However, in its first trip to the Mullins Center, Miami came away 72-71 victors in a very close, nonconference basketball game.

“Both teams played very hard,” Hurricanes coach Frank Haith said. “We were able to make shots, and when you’re able to make shots, everything else seems to go well. We were better defensively, we were better rebounding the ball, we were doing things a lot better because we were shooting the ball better. We had not had that kind of consistency all year.”

Senior guard Anthony Harris scored a career-high 33 points, 20 in the second half, on 13-of-19 shooting to power 8-7 Miami, which trailed, 34-32, at the half. His previous career high was 28 against Wake Forest Jan. 29, 2005. The 33 points tied the most scored by any player in the Mullins Center. Marques Green of St. Bonaventure tossed in 33 on Feb. 28, 2004. UMass won that game, 82-71.

“It’s good to see Anthony Harris play the way he did out there, because he had not had those kinds of numbers,” Haith said. “I’m proud of him. Obviously it was huge for us to get that kind of production.”

Sophomore guard Jack McClinton tossed in15 points off the bench, including 12 in the second half, and sophomore guard Denis Clemente added 11.

McClinton, which didn’t play against Nebraska because of a sprained left knee suffered Dec. 28 in practice, did not start the game, but played a total of 28 minutes.

“We didn’t even know that Jack was going to play,” Haith said. “It was, literally, one of those game-time decisions. After the shootaround we went back to the locker room. As we walked back to the court for the opening tip, I asked him if he was ready to play and he told me, well I can’t tell you exactly what he told me, but he told me he was ready to play.”

Harris had a team-high 13 points and sophomore Clemente 11 as the Hurricanes went into the locker room trailing the Minutemen (10-4), 34-32.

In the second half, however, things went Miami’s way.

The Hurricanes took control of the last lead change of the game, getting a basket from Harris to go up, 58-56, and that was the last time the lead would change.

The lead was extended to 60-57 at the 7:23 mark courtesy of McClintock making 2 of 3 free throws and then to 65-57 with 6:37 left in the game after Harris’ three-point play got his scoring total to 30.

Harris also hit a 3 coming off the under-4 minutes officials timeout to extend the Miami lead to 68-62.

“I pretty much came into the game telling myself it’s a new year and I need to get hot before ACC play,” Harris said. “I can’t look at the past. I have to look forward. I had to remind myself that it doesn’t hurt if I miss my first shot. In the past, me missing the first shot has got me second-guessing.”

Though he’s been hurt and did not play in the last game, McClinton’s knee (which was protected by a brace) seemed to hold up well to the tempo of the game.

“My knee is feeling well,” McClinton said. “With the adrenaline pumping, I was just thinking about giving it all I had.”

“(McClinton’s performance off the bench) was big, considering we didn’t even know we were going to get it,” Haith said. “We had prepared ourselves for not having Jack, but I didn’t know how he was going to look, but when he was out there he was fine, he looked fine and it looked like he was moving fine. The thing with his injury, it can’t get any worse, it’s just a matter of how much pain he’s in and if he can go through it. The key was how he was going to move laterally and I thought he was moving very well.”