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Despite plenty of struggles this season, the Canes managed to close out their home schedule with a victory. On Senior Night, Miami (13-16, 5-12 conf) relied on their seniors to carry them past the Pittsburgh Panthers (12-18, 2-15 conf). Anthony Lawrence II put out his best performance Tuesday night, leading all scorers with 27 points on 10 of 16 shooting, and completing a double-double with 11 rebounds and 4 assists. Fellow senior Ebuka Izundu finished with a double-double of his own, pitching in 14 points and 14 rebounds. Grad-transfer Zach Johnson and Dejan Vasiljevic joined Izundu and Lawrence in double figures with 14 and 13 points respectively.
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Pitt has experienced plenty of struggles of their own this season, yet they still managed to keep this contest close for the majority of the game. With under 5 minutes to play, the Panthers were able to cut the Canes’ lead to 3 on a Xavier Johnson layup. That would be the closest they would get, as Miami closed the game on a 13-3 run. Johnson contributed a solid stat line of 10 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, and senior guard Jared Wilson-Frame led the team with 18 points.
Coach Larranaga had his team ready to play, leaving a better taste in the mouths of fans in the Watsco Center after a tough season. The Canes were able to withstand an off night from leading-scorer Chris Lykes, who battled foul trouble and failed to hit double digits, finishing with 8 points. Miami currently sits in a 3-way tie for 10th place in the ACC with one game left, giving a sense of urgency for Friday’s finale against Virginia Tech. Tip off is scheduled for 7:00pm ET. The Hokies emerged victorious in the two teams’ previous matchup this season 82-70.