Scott Records Double-Double in Loss to NC State, 77-73

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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – C.J. Leslie had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and North Carolina State withstood a late charge from Miami to beat the Hurricanes 77-73 on Wednesday night.

Lorenzo Brown added 16 points and Scott Wood had 15 with five 3-pointers for the Wolfpack (19-11, 8-7 Atlantic Coast Conference).

They shot 50 percent (28 of 56) and kept Miami winless in Raleigh, while snapping a four-game losing streak and locking up their first .500 finish in league play since they were 10-6 in 2006. That was also the last time the Wolfpack made the NCAA tournament.

Rion Brown scored 15 points and Malcolm Grant added 14 for Miami (17-11, 8-7). Grant’s 3-pointer – with Lorenzo Brown’s hand in his face – tied it at 69 with 1:36 left. Wood countered with a 3 from the wing that restored the Wolfpack’s three-point lead with 1:07 left.

The Hurricanes twice made it a one-point game after that, the last time coming when Durand Scott’s free throw made it 74-73 with 24.4 seconds left. Shane Larkin stole Brown’s inbounds pass, but Scott missed a contested jumper in the lane and Richard Howell was fouled with 16.4 seconds left.

After Howell missed both free throws, Leslie chased down the rebound and Brown hit two foul shots with 12.6 seconds left to make it 76-73.

Miami had one last chance to force overtime but Grant’s contested 3-pointer with about 5 seconds left bounced off the iron and Leslie hit a free throw with 3.1 seconds left to seal it.

Howell finished with 14 points for the Wolfpack, who swept the regular-season series with the Hurricanes and haven’t lost to them anywhere since 2009. N.C. State improved to 6-0 against Miami at home and 5-0 at the RBC Center. This was the latest in a tight series – two of the previous three meetings here went to overtime.

Leslie, who reached double figures in scoring for the ninth straight game, has put up 20 in three of his last four games – including a 24-point performance last week against No. 6 North Carolina that marked his previous career high. He had seven points during a 21-7 run that helped the Wolfpack turn a six-point deficit into an eight-point lead.

The highlight of that burst came with 16 minutes left when he jumped Scott’s pass in the corner. After tipping the ball to Brown, he hustled downcourt and dunked an alley-oop feed from Brown to put the Wolfpack up 43-42.

They stretched it to 57-49 on Alex Johnson’s 3 with 9 1/2 minutes left, before Miami tightened things back up with a pair of quick baskets. The margin was no wider than two possessions the rest of the way.

Scott and center Reggie Johnson finished with 10 points apiece for Miami. Johnson was back in the Hurricanes’ starting lineup after the NCAA restored his eligibility.

He was ruled ineligible by Miami late last week and sat out the upset of No. 22 Florida State on Sunday night, after an investigation revealed that members of his family accepted “impermissible travel benefits” from a member of the school’s former coaching staff. Miami had said the Winston-Salem native was not aware of the benefits, didn’t accept anything himself and his family had been told they were allowed.

Game Notes
-Miami’s starters for the game were freshmen Shane Larkin from Orlando, Fla., senior Malcolm Grant from Brooklyn, N.Y., junior. Durand Scott from The Bronx, N.Y, junior Kenny Kadji from Douala, Cameroon and junior Reggie Johnson from Winston-Salem, N.C. Johnson, who missed the game against Florida State, returned to the court after being reinstated by the NCAA.

-Junior guard Durand Scott got his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Scott also made his 300th free throw going 4-of-4 from the line and three assists. Scott is now just eight points away the 1200-point plateau.

-Four Canes scored in double digit figures including Rion Brown (15), Malcolm Grant (14), Durand Scott (10) and Reggie Johnson (10).

-Sophomore Rion Brown played 25 minutes off the bench and tied a season high 15 points after going 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Brown last recorded three treys back on December 22, 2011 against Charlotte where he went 3-of-5 from distance. Brown also was flawless tonight at the line hitting 4-of-4.

-Miami’s bench notched 28 points tonight and marks the fifth game in a row the reserves have scored 22 points or more. Contributors included Rion Brown with 15, DeQuan Jones eight, and Garrius Adams added five. Against Florida State, Miami knocked down 27 points, 26 at Maryland, 20 vs. Wake Forest and 22 against North Carolina.

-UM is now 5-8 away and 12-3 at home this season. In ACC play, Miami is 5-2 in Coral Gables and 3-5 on the road.

-The Canes play their last regular season game at home this Saturday, Mar. 3, against the Boston College Eagles, at 2:30 p.m.