‘Canes Hoops Tops Stanford 67-53

‘Canes hoops took to the hardwood in the AdvoCare Invitational needing some Stanford NIT-revenge from two years ago in order to advance to the 2nd round.

Ja’Quan Newton got the scoring going with a lay-up off a Stanford turnover, but scoring early was elusive for both teams. There was also a high-degree of slop for both teams as the feeling-out process chewed up the start of the game.

Dewan Huell showed some of the promise that made him a prized recruit by slicing to the rim for a put back and a nice move inside for a pair of FTs - but it was Stanford that picked up the scoring pace from the perimeter as the ‘Canes continued to struggle. Stanford opened up a seven point lead as the half started to wind down and then Newton caught fire.

Using an assortment of drives, runners, and jumpers, Newton rallied the ‘Canes back into the game. When the teams retreated to the locker rooms, it was Stanford holding a slim 27-23 lead. One takeaway from the first half was the lack of a cohesive offensive on the part of the ‘Canes.

Scoring picked up a bit in the 2nd half as the ‘Canes and the Cardinal battled on both sides of the ball. Anthony Lawrence jumped the passing lane, stealing the ball and leading to an easy dunk. Lawrence wasn’t done. The junior wing nailed 2 3-balls in a row and the ‘Canes opened up a 48-45 lead with just over 9 minutes to play. But the Stanford Cardinal appeared determined to prevent Miami hoops from running away with it.

But that’s exactly what the ‘Canes started to do in the last few minutes. After opening a 7-point lead mostly due to Miami’s intense defense, Newton and Lawrence, the ‘Canes called on Bruce Brown to slash to the hoop in a backbreaking drive that sealed the game for Miami with over a minute left.