Isaiah Wong scored 24 points and dealt five assists as No. 22 Miami won its eighth straight and handed No. 6 Virginia its second consecutive loss, 66-64 on Tuesday in Coral Gables, Fla.
Jordan Miller contributed 11 points and five rebounds and Norchad Omier powered inside for 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocks as Miami (12-1, 3-0 ACC) snapped a six-game losing streak against Virginia.
Virginia struggled on offense, making just 36.7 percent from the floor, including 26.1 percent (6 of 23) from beyond the arc.
Virginia (8-2, 1-1) was led by Ben Vander Plas, who scored 20 points. Kihei Clark scored five of his 13 points in the final 27 seconds to make it close.
Reece Beekman contributed 10 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, but his turnover in the closing seconds prevented Virginia from taking a final shot that could have tied or won the game.
The Cavaliers were down by 15 points early in the second half; but, in a span of 5:57, they held the Hurricanes scoreless and worked their way back into the game.
A four-point-play by Vander Plas with 11:07 left sliced Miami’s lead to 43-36. Then Vander Plas made two more 3-pointers. His personal 10-point run sliced the Hurricanes’ lead to 43-42.
But, in the final eight minutes, Wong scored nine points. With 2:21 to go, Nijel Pack drained an NBA-distance 3-pointer for a 60-51 lead.
From the start, Miami came out firing. Miller hit a putback and a 3-pointer and Wooga Poplar added another 3-pointer to fuel an early run that put Miami up 12-2.
Midway through the half, Miami put together a 12-2 spree that included back-to-back 3-pointers from each corner by Bensley Joseph.
Then Wong finished off the flurry with a four-point play, getting knocked to the floor as he swished a shot from beyond the arc. The free throw gave the Hurricanes their biggest lead of the half, 26-12.
–Field Level Media
