Miami Faces 80-74 Setback to Oklahoma State

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The University of Miami men’s basketball team fell to the Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-1), 80-74, Friday afternoon at TD Arena in the Hurricanes’ (3-2) second game of the 2024 Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic.

Down 17 with five minutes to play in the game, the Hurricanes connected on seven of their final 10 shots to pull to within six of the Cowboys, but time ultimately ran out on Miami’s comeback.

Guard Nijel Pack recorded his second 20-point game of the season, totaling 20 points to lead the Hurricanes in scoring.

Forward Brandon Johnson tallied his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds, pacing the Hurricanes’ on the glass.

Oklahoma State took control early, opening the game on a 9-0 run. Miami cut the lead to three thanks to a pair of 3-pointers from Blackmon and Pack, but the Cowboys responded with a 7-0 run to extend their lead to double-digits, 20-10, with 10 minutes to play in the first half.

The Cowboys shot 53.3 percent from 3-point range in the first half to increase their lead to 16, 43-37, at the halftime break.

Oklahoma State took its largest lead of the game, 51-31, at the 14:35 mark in the second half, but Miami responded with an 11-4 run to cut the deficit to 13 at the midway point of the frame.

The Hurricanes shot 58.1 percent from the field in the second half and four Miami players scored eight-plus points in the final 20 minutes of play but they could not finish the comeback.

Miami will play either VCU or Nevada at 12:30 p.m. ET on Sunday at TD Arena in Charleston, S.C.