Adrian Wooley made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 18 seconds left, as visiting Louisville defeated the 22nd-ranked Miami Hurricanes 92-89 in an ACC matchup in Coral Gables.
On Miami’s next possession following Woley’s shot, Tre Donaldson lost his balance and threw an errant pass for a turnover.
After a pair of Louisville free throws, Donaldson made a layup with two seconds left to cut the lead to 91-89.
Sananda Fru split a pair of free throws for the Cardinals. Trailing by three, Miami’s Tru Washington heaved half-court shot that missed off the backboard and off the rim; the attempt took place after time expired, nevertheless.
It was the regular-season finale for both teams, and Miami (24-7, 13-5) finished tied for the most regular season wins in program history.
Louisville (22-9, 11-7) got double-figure scoring from Ryan Conwell (24 points), J’Vonne Hadley (16), Wooley (15), and Isaac McKneely (15).
Miami had its three-game win streak snapped, despite a game-high 25 points and six assists from Donaldson.
It was Senior Day for Miami as Donaldson, Malik Reneau (18 points) and Ernest Udeh Jr. (eight points, eight rebounds) were honored.
Hurricanes reserve Noam Dovrat scored nine points, while shooting 3-6 on 3-pointers. Over his past three games, he is 11-for-16 from deep.
Despite the loss, the Hurricanes are still one of the best stories of the season, bouncing back from a 7-24 campaign.
The Cardinals played without Mikel Brown Jr., who missed his second straight game and his 10th this season due to a back injury. Brown is Louisville’s second-leading scorer (18.2).
Louisville, which got off to a 13-2 start, had an early advantage as Reneau went to the bench after getting charged with two fouls in the first two minutes.
Seven minutes later, coach Jai Lucas, with Miami trailing 21-10, brought Reneau back, and the gamble worked. Reneau did not commit another foul the rest of the half, and Miami closed the gap a bit, as Louisville had a 46-37 lead at the break.
Conwell led all first-half scorers with 18 points, including four 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes. Donaldson led Miami with 10 points on 5-for-9 shooting, but he went 0-for-3 on 3-pointers.
Miami made a run in the second half, tying the score 77-77 on a Donaldson 3-pointer with 4:20 left. On Miami’s next possession, Donaldson drove the lane to give Miami its first lead of the second half, 79-78.
The game was close the rest of the way, but the Cardinals held on to beat the Hurricanes for the third straight time over the past three seasons.
–Field Level Media
