Isaiah Wong made a driving, tie-breaking layup with 0.7 seconds left, leading Miami to a 68-66 win over host Florida Atlantic on Tuesday night in a nonconference game at Boca Raton, Fla.
The Hurricanes (2-1), who never trailed, led by as many as 16 points in the first half.
FAU (1-2) tied the score, 66-66, on a Michael Forrest 3-pointer from the right corner with 12.4 seconds left.
That play was set up by Bryan Greenlee, who missed his second free throw, grabbed the rebound and kicked it out to Forrest.
Wong, without taking a timeout, then drove the ball up and banked in his layup while knifing between two defenders. No other Hurricanes player touched the ball on that possession.
Miami is now 25-1 all-time against FAU, including 10 straight victories. The last time Miami lost to FAU was 19 years ago.
The game was won at the foul line, where Miami made 30-of-38 (78.9 percent). FAU made just 10-of-24 free throws (41.7 percent).
Miami won despite shooting just 36 percent from the floor, including 2-of-10 on 3-pointers. Wong led the Canes with 18 points, Kam McGusty added 14, true freshman Wooga Poplar came off the bench to add 12 points.
FAU was led by Forrest, who had 21 points. Alijah Martin added 17 points.
Vladislav Goldin, FAU’s 7-foot-1 center, was disruptive to Miami’s offense early. He also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds but was held to three points, fouling out in the second half.
Miami, thanks to a 12-0 run, led by as many 15 points early, surging ahead 22-7 with 10:13 left in the first half. Miami stretched its to 34-18 before settling for a 34-20 advantage at halftime.
At the foul line, FAU made just 1-for-8 (12.5 percent) in that first half.
McGusty, who had missed his first six shots, made a drive, drew a foul on Goldin and completed the three-point play to give Miami a 58-47 lead with 5:38 left. Goldin fouled out on the play.
FAU, however, made its late rally to keep the game in suspense before Wong’s final drive.
–Field Level Media
