Miami recovers from slow 1st half to top NC State

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Miami got balanced scoring and plenty of it.

Davon Reed scored 26 points to help the Hurricanes beat North Carolina State 84-79 on Saturday.

Reed made 7 of 10 3-point attempts and was one of three Miami players to score a career high against the Wolfpack.

Anthony Lawrence Jr. and Ebuka Izundu came off the bench for the Hurricanes (15-7, 5-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) to top their previous scoring bests with 19 and 16 points, respectively.

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"We really directed our comments to our bench before the game, saying that this has to be a total team effort," Miami coach Jim Larranaga said. "We can't just have our three guards score. We need other guys to step in there, and they did."

Miami exploited a struggling N.C. State defense that had allowed an average of 90 points in its previous four games. The Hurricanes shot 50 percent from the field, including 11 of 21 from 3-point range.

Bruce Brown made a 3-pointer with 6:49 remaining to snap a 64-64 tie, and Miami led the rest of the way.



Ja'Quan Newton added 13 points for the Hurricanes, who rallied from a 12-point deficit late in the first half.

"Our team was resilient," Larranaga said.

Dennis Smith Jr. scored 31 points to lead N.C. State (14-10, 3-8).

The Wolfpack lost their third game in a row despite shooting 56 percent from the floor, including 11 of 18 from 3-point range.

Terry Henderson scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half to help stake the Wolfpack to a 45-36 halftime lead, but he did not attempt a shot from the field in the second half until the closing seconds.

Abdul-Malik Abu and Omer Yurtseven had 10 points each for N.C. State.

BIG PICTURE

Miami: The Hurricanes entered the day in 10th place in the ACC standings, but they climbed back to .500. With three of its next four games at home, Miami has a chance to build some momentum before a difficult stretch of games to close the regular season.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack might have run out of time to save what has been a disappointing season. N.C. State blew a double-digit lead at home for the second game in a row and likely will need a deep run in the conference tournament to rekindle its NCAA Tournament chances.

"We're a team that's playing hard and competing hard, but we're a handful of plays away," N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried said. "We've got to figure out how to get over that hump. That's where we are."

ROLE REVERSAL

Miami made a defensive change after Smith and Henderson combined for 33 points in the first half. Reed told Larranaga that he wanted to guard Smith, and Newton switched over to Henderson. Smith made 4 of 9 attempts in the second half after hitting all six of his shots before halftime.

"He's a very good player," Reed said. "Whatever he was doing in the first half was working for him, so to give him a different look in the second half is what we were aiming for."

STAT OF THE GAME

Miami grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, one more than the Wolfpack managed on the defensive end. The Hurricanes twice scored down the stretch after offensive rebounds to prevent the Wolfpack from rallying.

"You've got to get a defensive rebound," Gottfried said. "That's part of the defensive possession. That was the Achilles heel today."

TIP-INS

Izundu did not score in Miami's previous three games. He and Lawrence combined to make 13 of 18 shots and outscored N.C. State's bench 35-2. . The Wolfpack allowed at least 82 points for the sixth time in the last seven games. . N.C. State's last three opponents have shot a combined 38 for 71 (53.5 percent) from 3-point range.

UP NEXT

Miami: The Hurricanes host Virginia Tech on Wednesday night in the first of two scheduled matchups with the Hokies. Miami has won six of the last seven meetings.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack hit the road, where they are just 1-5 this season, to play at No. 15 Florida State on Wednesday night.