Miami Inches Past Cal St. Fullerton 48-46
FULLERTON, Calif. (AP) — The Miami Hurricanes held off a late charge by host Cal State Fullerton, defeating the Titans, 48-46, in the second round of the Wooden Legacy, on Friday afternoon.
Fullerton's Michael Williams missed a 3-point shot with one second remaining on the clock but the Hurricanes' win wasn't official until Chris Collins' put back rolled off the rim at the buzzer.
The win sent Miami into the tournament's fifth-place game, which will be played Sunday at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
The loss gave the Titans (2-5) a good idea of how good a team they can become.
The game featured tough defenses on both sides, though Miami was able to forge ahead to take a 23-17 lead at the break.
The Hurricanes (4-3) started the second half with a 10-0 run, opening up a 16-point advantage but even that wasn't a safe lead against the pesky Titans.
Miami took its biggest lead of the game (17 points) with 8:34 left in the game but seemed helpless to prevent the Titans from making their final run.
Fullerton scored 22 of the game's final 29 points, and came within inches of stealing the win.
Williams had a chance to tie the score with 13 seconds left but his shot was blocked by James Kelly. The Hurricanes rebounded the ball but were put on the foul line. When Davon Reed missed the front end of a one-and-one, the Titans scooped up the rebound and came up inches short on the other end.
Fullerton had a few chances to put themselves in position to win but seemed to make mistakes at the wrong time.
Fullerton, which lost by 20 points to 25th-ranked Marquette in Thursday's first round, came within two points of beating Miami despite shooting just 35 percent from the floor and converting 8 of 13 free throws.
Miami's numbers didn't fare much better, even with the better results. The Hurricanes shot 42 percent from the field and made just 3 of 10 free throws. Their win came on the heels of a first-round overtime loss to George Washington.
