Hurricanes Edge Oklahoma State To Stay Alive In NIT

Hurricanes Edge Oklahoma State To Stay Alive In NIT

March 15, 2006

Box Score

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP)Robert Hite and Guillermo Diaz scored 15 points apiece and Miami survived a frantic late rally to beat Oklahoma State 62-59 in the National Invitation Tournament on Wednesday night.

The Hurricanes (17-15), who hosted a postseason game for the first time in school history, finished with a season-high 14 steals.

The Hurricanes led 28-20 at halftime and went ahead 46-32 after Hite hit a 3-pointer with 10:35 to play. Oklahoma State responded with an 18-8 surge, pulling within 54-50 when Mario Boggan converted one of two free throws with 2:27 remaining.

Boggan scored 16 points for the Cowboys (17-16), who dropped a first-round NIT game for the first time since 1956.

Miami then scored four points during a 15-second span, taking a 58-50 lead on a layup by Denis Clemente with 45 seconds remaining. But Byron Eaton responded by draining back-to-back 3-pointers and JamesOn Curry hit a 3 with 22.1 seconds left to cut it to 60-59.

Hite was fouled with 20 seconds left, but missed the front end of a one-and-one. Oklahoma State’s David Monds had a look at a wide open layup with 7 seconds remaining, but the shot rimmed out and bounced out of bounds.

Diaz converted a pair of free throws with 4.1 seconds left to give Miami a 62-59 lead, and Eaton misfired on a last-second 3-point attempt.

Miami advanced to the second round of the NIT for the first time since 1963. The Hurricanes will play the winner of Thursday’s game between Creighton (19-9) and Akron (23-9).