Men's Basketball Falls To Latvia Select, 92-91

Nov. 3, 1999

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Ralmonds Vaikulis hit a three-point basket with6.2 seconds remaining to lift Latvia Select to 92-91 exhibition victory overthe University of Miami at the Knight Sports Complex in Coral Gables.

Vaikulis, who finished with 15 points, was one of four double figurescorers for Latvia-Select. Kristaps Valters led Latvia Select with 21 pointsto go with five assists and five steals. Charles Newborn recorded 19 pointsand 11 rebounds while former Hurricane Lorenzo Pearson added 15 points offthe bench.

Miami was led by senior center Mario Bland who scored 26 points andpulled down 11 rebounds in 25 minutes of action. Senior point guard VernonJennings added 19 points and a game-high six assists while freshman swingmanLeroy Hurd scored 11 points in 17 minutes off the bench.

Latvia Select, which trailed 56-34 at halftime, caught fire in thesecond half hitting 22-of-39 (.564) from the field including 4-of-8 fromthree-point range and took its first lead of the game, 80-79, with 5:08 toplay following a driving lay-up from Valters.

With the score tied 89-89, Bland hit a 13 foot jumper in the lane togive the Hurricanes a two point lead with just 23.3 seconds left. LatviaSelect then worked the ball around until Vaikulis sprung free on the rightwing for the go ahead jumper with 6.2 left. Miami had a shot to win it atthe end of the game but Jennings jumper from the left corner bounced away astime expired.

The Hurricanes return to action on Thursday, Nov. 11 when they faceUpstate Basketball at 7 p.m. in the Knight Sports Complex. The game is thefinal exhibition for the Hurricanes this season and admission is free.