McClellan Leads No. 17 Miami Over Charlotte 77-74
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Sheldon McClellan scored a career-high 31 points and had 11 rebounds as No. 17 Miami defeated Charlotte for the second time in three days, 77-74 on Tuesday night.
McClellan, who had 19 points in the Hurricanes' 19-point win over Charlotte in the Charleston Classic championship on Sunday, was 11 of 17 from the field and had five 3-pointers.
Manu Lecomte scored 18 points and Angel Rodriguez had 14 as the Hurricanes (6-0) shot a blazing 14 of 23 from 3-point range.
Freshman guard Torin Dorn and Mike Thorne Jr. each had 17 points for Charlotte (3-2).
Miami broke into the Top 25 on Monday after opening the season five wins on the road, including at then-No. 8Florida.
The Hurricanes led 38-37 at halftime, but opened the second half by hitting their first seven shots from the field, including five 3-pointers. Charlotte missed a 3 with 2 seconds left that would have tied it.
McClellan and Lecomte each had a pair of 3s during that crucial stretch as Miami built a 57-47 lead.
Charlotte weathered the storm behind Dorn, but McClellan, a transfer from Texas, began to take over with about six minutes remaining. He made a spinning move in the low post and then outraced a field of 49ers for a fast-break layup that pushed the lead to 73-60 before shouting to the crowd, "Let's go home now!"
Charlotte, however, made another run and pulled to 75-72 with a minute remaining when Braxton Ogbueze knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner. The 49ers had a chance to tie, but Pierria Henry missed a 3 from the wing with 19 seconds left.
After a missed free throw by Miami, Ogbueze was fouled shooting a 3-pointer with 9 seconds left and made the first two free throws but missed the third. The 49ers immediately fouled McClellan, who sank two free throws with 8.4 seconds left.
Charlotte had one last chance to tie, but Ogbueze missed an off-balance 3-pointer with 2 seconds left.
Charlotte looked much sharper than on Sunday, when it turned the ball over 19 times against Miami.
The 49ers jumped out to a 21-13 lead behind a solid transition game and 10 points off the bench from Dorn.
But the Hurricanes stormed back to take a 38-37 lead at the break behind consecutive 3-pointers from Lecomte and Rodriguez in the closing minutes of the first half.
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