National Basketball Association
Miami-Florida 60, Temple 57
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Officials:
# Ed Corbett, # John Gaffney, # Lamar Simpson
Attendance:
14242
By SportsDirect Inc.
Miami (Fla.) 60, Temple 57: Sheldon McClellan recorded 16 points and 11 rebounds as the Hurricanes slipped past the Owls in the NIT's Final Four at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The other four starters combined for 17 points for second-seeded Miami (25-12), which will attempt to win its first NIT championship Thursday against Stanford. The Hurricanes played without point guard Angel Rodriguez (wrist) for the third straight game, while center Tonye Jekiri was elbowed in the face early in the contest and did not return.
Temple (26-11) had a chance to tie at the buzzer, but Quenton DeCosey's 3-pointer clanged off the back rim, completing a 2-of-19 performance from behind the arc for the Owls. Obi Enechionyia had 17 points and eight boards to pace No. 1 seed Temple, while Will Cummings chipped in 11 points on 3-of-15 shooting.
McClellan scored the final four points during a 6-0 run that put the Hurricanes ahead 56-49 with 3 1/2 minutes to play, although two free throws by Josh Brown, a layup by DeCosey and a stumbling layup by Cummings got the Owls within a point with 43.9 seconds left. Deandre Burnett promptly drove to the rim and scored to restore a three-point lead and the teams exchanged free throws before Burnett missed the front end of a 1-and-1 to give Temple one final shot.
Temple led by as many as 11 with less than four minutes left in the first half before Burnett's 3-pointer ignited a 9-0 run that helped Miami get within 30-25 at the break. The Owls held a slim second-half lead until McClellan's long-range connection put the Hurricanes on top by a point with a little more than eight minutes left, and the junior guard drained a 3 on the ensuing possession to give Miami a 47-45 edge.
GAME NOTEBOOK: This was the first game as a head coach at Madison Square Garden for Miami's Jim Larranaga, who has been a Division I head coach for 31 years. ... The Hurricanes are playing in their 11th NIT, but this was their first appearance in the tournament's Final Four. ... Ja'Quan Newton pitched in with nine points off the Miami bench, while DeCosey finished with nine points for Temple, which shot 30.2 percent.
Top Game Performances
| Miami-Florida |
|
Temple |
|
Sheldon McClellan 16 |
Scoring |
Obi Enechionyia 17 |
|
Davon Reed 4 |
Assists |
Will Cummings 3 |
|
Sheldon McClellan 11 |
Rebounds |
Obi Enechionyia 8 |
|
Sheldon McClellan 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Obi Enechionyia 7 |
|
Deandre Burnett 1 |
Steals |
Jesse Morgan 4 |
|
Davon Reed 3 |
Blocks |
Obi Enechionyia 5 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Miami-Florida
|
60 |
39.0 |
6-21 |
8-11 |
11 |
38 |
8 |
2 |
11 |
| Temple
|
57 |
30.2 |
2-19 |
17-22 |
9 |
32 |
7 |
5 |
5 |
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