As Red Panda dazzled the crowd with an acrobatic halftime performance on a unicycle, Miami displayed a spirited performance of its own when the game mattered most.
Miami beat the Stanford Cardinal 79-70 on Wednesday night at the Watsco Center.
The game was defined by runs and Miami made the last push to seal the game.
Down 56-53 inching back into the game with just under seven minutes left in regulation, freshman guard Dante Allen hoisted up a straightaway three pointer. It swished straight through the net and Miami tied the game at 56.
The packed student section turned into a frenzy for the first time all night, rejuvenating life into the building.
A pair of high flying alleyoop dunks by freshman forward Shelton Henderson and senior Ernest Udeh Jr made the crowd explode. Miami went on a 12-2 run and with 1:20 left on the clock led 71-61.
First year head coach Jai Lucas decided to plug in freshman Guard Dante Allen into the starting lineup over junior Tru Washington. This was the first game all season Washington came off the bench.
Washington made his 26 minutes count, scoring 10 of his 12 points in the second half and went four-for-four from the charity stripe.
UM ended the game similar to how they started.
Tre Donaldson led the Hurricanes (17-4, 6-2 ACC) on a 7-0 run to start the game but its inconsistent shooting was its kryptonite most of the game.
Up 22-12 with 11:38 left to go in the first half, Stanford started to turn the corner, going on 7-0 run of its own to trail by four, 23-19.
Donaldson’s 13 of Miami’s first 25 points kept them out in front.
Stanford closed the half on a 8-0 run while the Hurricanes went scoreless from the field in the last 5:49.
The Cardinal (14-17, 3-5 ACC) is better than their record says. They defeated ranked Louisville and North Carolina on its home floor earlier this month.
Stanford freshman Ebuka Okorie has been thriving all season, ranked third in scoring for freshmen with 21.7 points per game. Although his 19 points were a team high, he shot 8-for-21 from the field.
“It took him [Okorie] a lot of shots to get what he needed,” senior forward Malik Reneau said.
Reneau’s 20-point performance was a team high and he was especially physical in the interior, shooting 6-for-10 from the field.
Free throws were a cause of concern throughout the night. Close to the 14 minute mark of the second half, freshman forward Timo Malovec missed three foul shots in row after getting fouled beyond the arc.
On the night, UM shot 19-for-31 from the line, marking a 61% clip.
Malovec made up for his poor three point shooting, sinking in back-to-back three point shots. His shooting prowess led the ’Canes to within four, 50-46.
Miami’s physicality and speed helped them throughout the game as they scored 13 fast break points to Stanford’s zero. They also scored 17 points off turnovers.
“We’re dynamic. We got big bodies. We got great speed,” Lucas said after the game. “We can get out and get downhill and see if we are going to get a foul or a finish and that’s what we preach.”
The ‘Canes return to the Watsco Center on Saturday at four p.m. to take on Cal.
