|
 |  |
|
AD PARTNERS
|  |
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- With the same determination it used to gain an NCAA Tournament berth, No. 11 seed Arkansas almost pulled out a come-from-behind victory. Sixth-seed Miami held off a late charge by Arkansas and picked up the second NCAA Tournament victory in school history with a 75-71 triumph in a South Region first-round contest. The Hurricanes (22-10) led 72-59 with 94 seconds left when the Razorbacks made their charge. T.J. Cleveland and Charles Tatum each buried 3-pointers and Teddy Gipson's layup with 18 seconds remaining closed the gap to 72-69. Mario Bland hit 1-of-2 free throws to put Miami ahead by four with 23 seconds left. Following a missed 3-pointer by Joe Johnson, James Jones' breakaway dunk with 4.7 seconds left put the game away for the Hurricanes. That dunk was Miami's first field goal since John Salmons hit with 7:20 left to put the Hurricanes ahead, 63-48. Bland nailed four free throws the rest of the way with Elton Tyler hitting a pair. Miami, which defeated Lafayette last season for its first NCAA Tournament win, will face Ohio State on Sunday in the second round. Johnny Hemsley paced the Hurricanes with 20 points, Salmons added 16 and Bland 14. Tyler grabbed eight rebounds and Bland and Salmons six each as Miami gained a 40-30 advantage in the first meeting between these teams. Arkansas (19-15) would not have qualified if it did not pick up four victories in as many days to capture the Southeastern Conference tournament title. The Razorbacks topped Auburn to win the first SEC tournament title in school history. Gipson scored 14 points and Johnson added 13 for the Razorbacks, who had their streak of nine straight first-round victories in the NCAA Tournament snapped. Hemsley scored 10 points with Bland and Tyler adding seven each in the opening half as the Hurricanes led, 37-27. Miami shot 52 percent (13-of-25) in the opening 20 minutes while holding Arkansas to 26 percent (7-of-27).
|
