![Newton's Buzzer-Beater Propels UM to Win at No. 9 UNC Newton's Buzzer-Beater Propels UM to Win at No. 9 UNC](https://miamihurricanes.com/imgproxy/LmjbGWb_I5dfW0z_slsXVOtiiOxsa9XckaEA6TUPtZE/fit/1920/1080/ce/0/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdG9yYWdlLmdvb2dsZWFwaXMuY29tL2h1cnJpY2FuZXNwb3J0cy1jb20vMjAxNy8wMS8wZGU2MmJiMi1jb3Zlci5qcGc.jpg)
Newton's Buzzer-Beater Propels UM to Win at No. 9 UNC
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP)Ā —Ā Ā Ja’Quan NewtonĀ hit a running 30-footer at the horn to help Miami upset No. 9 North Carolina 91-88 in a wild finish Tuesday night.
Newton’s heave off his left foot came immediately after UNC’sĀ Joel Berry IIĀ hit a tough 3 of his own to tie the game with 4.1 seconds left. Miami pushed the ball upcourt for Newton’s shot over Berry, then the Hurricanes immediately mobbed Newton near midcourt.
“When I was guarding Joel, he came down and hit a great shot,” Newton said. “Soon as he hit the shot, I came around and I wanted the ball. … I got it. I looked at the clock when I was dribbling upcourt and it said 3 seconds left.
“I was just like: `I’ve got to shoot it.”
Officials quickly determined the shot came in time.
Miami coach Jim Larranaga said he considered calling a timeout before the Hurricanes inbounded the ball. And as Larranaga gave his postgame comments, Newton stared at a nearby wall-mounted TV replaying his remarkable shot.
Larranaga said the final play ended up being simply: “Ja’Quan, score so we can win this game.”
It capped a game that saw Miami (21-8, 10-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) squander a 16-point second-half lead, only to come up with a huge win with the ACC Tournament just a week away.
Chris LykesĀ scored 18 points to lead Miami, which shot 55 percent.
Berry matched his career high with 31 points for the Tar Heels (22-8, 11-6), who lost their final home game to snap a six-game winning streak.
Game Notes
Team
ā¢ North Carolina leads the series, 21-8, but Miami has won six of the last nine meetings.
ā¢ Jim LarraƱaga is now 6-5 in his Miami career against North Carolina.
ā¢ Miami’s 91 points tied its most in regulation in any road ACC game since UM joined the league for the 2004-05 season (91 at Virginia on Jan. 12, 2005).
ā¢ Miami has won 10 or more ACC games for the fifth time in LarraƱaga’s seven years at UM.
ā¢ Miami recorded its second-most points this season (94 in OT at Florida State) and hit the 90-point barrier for the third time this year.Ā
ā¢ Miami is 7-12 against top-10 opponents under LarraƱaga, including 3-6 on the road. This is Miami’s first win on the road against a top-10 team since a 90-74 victory at then-No. 4 Duke on Jan. 13, 2015.
ā¢ Miami put six players scored in double figures for the second time this season (Florida A&M). UM put at least five in double figures for the seventh time this season and the second time in ACC play (Wake Forest, Feb. 7).
ā¢ Miami is now 12-1 under Jim LarraƱaga when scoring at least 90 points.
ā¢ Miami hit 12-of-13 from the free-throw line and is 25-for-28 from the charity stripe in the last two games. Miami hit all 10 of its free-throw attempts in the second half.
ā¢ Miami scored on its first seven possessions of the second half.
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Individual
ā¢Ā Chris Lykes scored 18 points, one off his career high, set against Virginia on Feb. 13. He reached double figures for the 11thĀ time in 17 ACC games.
ā¢ Ja’Quan Newton played in his 124thĀ career game, tied for eighth most in program history with Elton Tyler (1997-2000, 2001-02) and John Salmons (1998-2002).
ā¢ Newton scored Miami’s final seven points and finished with 15, one off his season high. Miami is 12-1 this season when Newton scores in double figures.
ā¢ Newton’s buzzer-beater was his fifth 3-pointer of the year (5-for-25).
ā¢ Newton now has 1,115 career points.
ā¢ Lonnie Walker IV scored 13 points, reaching double figures for the 10thĀ time in his last 12 games.Ā
ā¢ Ebuka Izundu scored 12 points, all in the first half. He scored in double figures for the fifth time this season.Ā
ā¢ DJ Vasiljevic was 4-for-4 from the field, including 2-for-2 from 3-point range in scoring 10 points, his 11thĀ game in double figures this year.
ā¢ Dewan Huell scored 14 points, his team-high 18thĀ double-figure scoring game of the year. He added a team-high eight boards.Ā
ā¢ Sam Waardenburg recorded a career-high four assists; it marked his first game where he has recorded more than one assist.
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