MBB Takes 73-69 Thriller in Foreign Tour Opener
By Alex Schwartz
HurricaneSports.com
ROME – The University of Miami men’s basketball team recorded a 73-69 triumph over Stella Azzurra Academy Monday night at Arena Altero Felici in the first game of its trip to Italy.
After watching a 20-point third-quarter lead turn into a four-point fourth-quarter deficit, the Hurricanes closed on an 11-3 run to earn the victory.
Senior guard Dejan Vasiljevic led the way with 20 points, finishing 7-of-10 from the floor, 3-of-5 beyond the arc and 3-of-3 at the line.
“Perfect way to start our time in Italy in our first of three games” Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga said. “We can benefit a lot and learn a lot from the competition.”
In his first game action as a Hurricane, redshirt junior guard Kameron McGusty scored eight of the team’s first 10 points and helped Miami build a narrow 20-19 lead through one session.
With the score even at 25 apiece 3:20 into the second frame, the Hurricanes rattled off a 19-0 run in five minutes. They went on to take a 46-27 edge into the break, holding Stella Azzura Academy without a field goal for the final 6:40 of the half.
After the Hurricanes extended their lead to 20, they conceded a 19-6 run to cap the third period and their cushion sat at seven, 55-48, with 10 minutes to play.
The Sharks, who featured Khadeem Lattin, a starter on Oklahoma’s 2016 Final Four team, pushed their run to 31-8, including scoring the first seven points of the final session, and took a 60-57 edge with 6:44 to play.
Trailing by four, 66-62, in the closing minutes, Miami seized control of the game. After a 3-pointer by Vasiljevic, freshman guard Isaiah Wong logged an old-fashioned three and then added two more points from the line to give the Hurricanes, with 2:44 to play, a 70-66 lead they would not relinquish.
The late surge came despite being down to six players, as two (freshman guard Harlond Beverly and junior guard Chris Lykes) fouled out and another (redshirt junior center Rodney Miller, Jr.) missed the final quarter with cramps.
Along with Vasiljevic’s team-high 20 points, Lykes and McGusty joined him in double figures with 13 apiece. Miller registered eight points and a co-team-high seven rebounds in just 17 minutes, while Wong posted six of his eight points in the final five minutes.
The Hurricanes, who shot 44.7 percent (21-of-47) from the floor and 76.5 percent (26-of-34) from the stripe, play their second game abroad Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET against BC Šilutė in Montecatini Terme, Italy.
To keep up with the University of Miami men’s basketball team on social media, follow @CanesHoops on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
PLAYER STAT HIGHLIGHTS
Harlond Beverly: two points, two blocks
Chris Lykes: 13 points, three assists, three steals
Kameron McGusty: 13 points, three assists
Rodney Miller, Jr.: eight points, seven rebounds
DJ Vasiljevic: 20 points, four rebounds, 37 minutes
Sam Waardenburg: two points, seven rebounds
Anthony Walker: seven points, three rebounds
Isaiah Wong: eight points, three rebounds
