MBB holds off FSU, 74-68, 11-0 in ACC

February 13, 2013

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Shane Larkin scored 13 of his 22 points in the final 7 1-2 minutes to help third-ranked Miami stave off Florida State 74-68 on Wednesday night for its 12th straight victory.

Reggie Johnson added 15 points for Miami (20-3, 11-0 ACC), which became the first team to start the league season 11-0 in a dozen years.

North Carolina was the last team to start its ACC schedule at 11-0 a dozen years ago. The Tar Heels, however, faded down the stretch of the 2000-01 season and finished with a 13-3 league mark while archrival Duke led by Shane Battier went on to win the national championship.

Two years earlier, the Blue Devils were the lone team in ACC history to go 16-0 in league play, but lost to UConn in the national championship game.

The ACC has gone to 18 conference games now because of expansion.

Durand Scott had 13 points and Julian Gamble 10 for the Hurricanes, who will try to keep their ACC slate perfect Sunday when they visit Clemson.

A 3-point play by Scott gave Miami a 51-39 lead with 13:05 left, but Florida State countered with a 12-0 run keyed by a pair of Terry Whisnant 3’s to tie the score on Okaro White’s basket. They never could get the lead.

The Hurricanes built their lead back to 68-56, largely behind Larkin.

White led the Seminoles (13-11, 5-6) with 15 points before fouling out with 2:04 left. Freshman Devon Bookert added 12 points.

The 6-10, 290-pound Johnson, spurred a 25-5 run midway through the first half to help the Hurricanes wipe out an early 13-2 deficit on their way to a 38-30 halftime advantage.

Miami, which had never been ranked higher than eighth nationally before this season, hasn’t lost since Christmas Day.

The ‘Canes cracked the Top 25 just three weeks ago and rocketed toward the top on the strength of several impressive victories. Miami became the first ACC team to beat both North Carolina and Duke by at least 25 points in the same season with an 87-61 win over the Tar Heels last week.

Game Notes

Tonight’s starters for Miami: Shane Larkin, Durand Scott, Trey McKinney Jones, Kenny Kadji and Julian Gamble. 

Miami is the first team to go 11-0 in ACC play since North Carolina started 11-0 in 2000-01 season.

Miami has tied the second-longest win streak in school history at 12 games, which was set in the 2007-2008 season. The Hurricanes defeated Florida State in Tallahassee for the first time since the 2006-07 season.

Miami shot 74% from the field in the first half, and finished the game shooting 64% from the field, the highest shooting percentage for the Hurricanes this season. Their previous high for a half 58.6% and 56.9% in a single game, both came against Duke on Jan. 23, 2013.

The Hurricanes are the only BCS conference team (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Big East, Pac 12 and SEC) still undefeated in league play. 

For the first time this season, every Hurricane that played recorded a field goal. 

Shane Larkin (18), Durand Scott (13), Reggie Johnson (12) and Julian Gambe (10) all scored in double digits. The Canes are now 13-0 when four Canes score in double digits.