Hurricanes drop back-to-back conference games, as Florida State wins their first of the season.
In a late game nail-biter that left fans on the edge of their seat on Tuesday night from the Watsco Center, the Miami Hurricanes suffered a painful 2nd consecutive loss in conference play, falling to Florida State 65-63. This win gave the Seminoles their first ACC win under first year head coach Luke Loucks.
With just one second remaining in the game, Seminoles guard Robert McCray V sank two clutch free throws after being fouled by Miami’s Tre Donaldson, giving Florida State what would end up being a game sealing two-point advantage over Miami, handing the Hurricanes another frustrating loss.
Miami battled in the 2nd half behind the likes of Malik Reneau and Shelton Henderson. Despite the team only scoring 26 points in the final 20 minutes, Reneau and Henderson combined for 24 of those points, doing everything they could to keep the Canes in it. Overall, offensive production wasn’t enough to overcome the late game missed opportunities.
After the game, Miami head coach Jai Lucas looked to urgency as the biggest area of concern moving forward.
“Our urgency and our desperation. If we do that, I think everything will take care of it,” Lucas said when asked what needs to be addressed.
Seminoles head coach Luke Loucks kept things in perspective despite the emotional win.
“To me, it’s more about what you learn from the highs and the lows. We did not win the Super Bowl. I’ll never pour water on a win, but you got to build off this.”
The Seminoles ultimately played with that mindset down the stretch and took advantage of the plays needed, while Miami struggled to get clean looks late.
Despite the heartbreaking loss, Miami’s Ernest Udeh Jr. after the game made it clear the team won’t dwell on it.
“Obviously the game didn’t end how we wanted it to, but the last thing we’re going to do and the worst thing we can do is sit on it, we got to move onto Syracuse,” Udeh said.
The loss hurts for a Hurricanes team that is still trying to look for consistency within conference play, especially in down to the wire situations where execution becomes the difference. Now at 15-4 (4-2 ACC) on the season, Miami looks to get back on track as they travel to Syracuse for a 2:00 PM tip off on Saturday.
(Photo Credit: Christian Proscia, NewEraPrep)
