Miami falls on the road to Wake Forest in overtime in ‘a game of inches’
The game was fitting of two teams that came into Saturday’s game that featured two of the Atlantic Coast Conference teams with undefeated records within the conference.
Hunter Sallis nailed a three-pointer from the corner with 23.8 seconds left in overtime to help Wake Forest slide by Miami 86-82 in a wild game.
Miami dropped to 11-3 overall and 2-1 in the ACC, and Wake Forest improved to 11-3 and 3-0.
“I have no idea where Wake Forest is ranked,” Hurricanes coach Jim Larrañaga of the Hurricanes said. “But this is their ninth win in a row. I think they’re undefeated at home. They’re a very, very good team, especially now with Efton Reid.”
The Demon Deacons have won nine in a row, and they have also won nine straight games at home.
“That’s what Saturday in the ACC should look like,” said Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes. “You know, you’ve got two really good basketball teams playing against each other, you know, throwing blows and not giving up, not relenting.
“Miami is an elite offensive basketball team. They’re at their best when they play fast. They make threes. They take care of the ball. They’re just really hard to play. A little bit of a reflection, I think, of how we play offense except they’re even better in transition.”
Miami scored the first five points of overtime after Kyshawn George had a dunk and Nijel Pack hit a three-pointer to take a 78-73 lead with four minutes left. However, Wake Forest tied it at 78-78 with 2:51 left on a floater by Hunter Sallis.
“I think they got several second shots, and they got to the foul line,” Larrañaga said. “But if they get to the foul line, you make one, you miss one, they tip it out and bury a three that erases the lead right there.”
George led the Hurricanes with 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting, Norchad Omier had 20, Matthew Cleveland scored 17, and Pack chipped in with 15.
Just as Larrañaga said, Wake Forest took an 81-78 lead, as part of an 8-0 run, after Boopie Miller hit a three-pointer after Wake Forest missed a three-point attempt and tipped it back to him near the logo at halfcourt.
Miller led Wake Forest with 27 points on 10-of-19 shooting.
“The game is a game of inches,” Larrañaga said. “The difference between a guy making a shot and a guy missing a shot normally is not by a lot. Getting a rebound, not getting a rebound. They outrebounded us 43-40. I thought it was more than that.”
The Hurricanes trimmed the lead to 81-80 after Omier hit two free throws with 1:17 remaining in overtime. However, the Demon Deacons answered after Cameron Hildreth penetrated down the lane and dished it to Sallis, who hit a 3-pointer to push the lead to 84-80.
Hildreth added 23 points on 5-of-15 shooting, and Sallis chipped in with 18 on 7-of-21 shooting.
“I mean, we had a similar situation like that with BC [Boston College] the other day,” Sallis said. “I mean, you’ve just got to stay confident and keep shooting shots, and God will bless you. So, that’s what happened tonight.”
Miami didn’t go away. Omier hit two free throws with 13.2 seconds left in overtime to make it 84-82.
“I felt great because you just hope you’re smart enough not to give up a four-point play,” Forbes said. “And the hard part was, you don’t want them to score too quick because that’s why I called the timeout because I didn’t want them to fire it up the court.
“And then we got the stop, and we couldn’t get the rebound. I mean, that’s ballgame. That was disappointing because they missed.”
Down 84-82, Joseph Bensley fouled Miller to give the Demon Deacons a double bonus from the free-throw line. Miller made both free throws to extend the lead to 86-82.
“I feel like we just stayed with our game plan,” Miller said. “...But I feel like we stuck with our game plan, and we came out with the win.”
Miami plays host to Louisville (5-9, 0-3) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
“It’s high-level basketball,” Larrañaga said. “At this point in time you don’t know who the best teams are in the ACC yet. You’re not going to know that until sometime either in February or March. Things change very, very quickly.”
