ST. LOUIS (AP) — Malik Reneau scored 24 points, Tre Donaldson hit a couple of big baskets down the stretch, and seventh-seeded Miami pulled away late for a 80-66 victory over No. 10 seed Missouri on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Donaldson finished with 17 points, and Shelton Henderson had 15 for the Hurricanes (26-8), who trailed midway through the second half before an 11-0 run that gave them control and pushed them into a matchup with Purdue for a spot in the Sweet 16.
The second-seeded Boilermakers routed No. 15 seed Queens earlier in the night.
Jayden Stone scored 21 points and Mark Mitchell had 19 for the Tigers (20-13), who have lost nine of their last 10 NCAA Tournament games. Anthony Robinson II also had 11 points and five assists before fouling out in the final minute.
The Tigers entered the tourney on a three-game skid, their last win coming way back on Feb. 28, and for most of the first half they looked like a team that had barely scraped off the bubble and into the 68-team field. Miami dominated them on the boards, and the Tigers resorted to launching contested 3-pointers as they struggled to find any offense.
The Hurricanes stretched their lead to 10 points in the first half.
Mitchell finally ended a five-minute scoring drought with a pair of free throws, and the rest of the Tigers heated up just before the break. Robinson hit a bucket in transition, Mitchell added two more free throws, and Robinson’s 3-pointer capped nine straight points that closed Missouri within 27-26 as the teams headed to the locker rooms.
Miami held tight to its lead until midway through the second half, when the Tigers ran off eight straight points to pull ahead. But after Mitchell’s 3-pointer gave Missouri a 54-52 advantage, the Hurricanes answered with their 11-0 burst to regain control.
Reneau and Henderson each had back-to-back baskets during the stretch, which pushed Miami ahead 63-54 with 4:23 to go.
Mitchell hit a couple of 3s down the stretch to keep Missouri alive, but Reneau answered the first by getting to the line for two free throws, and Donaldson answered the second with a 3-pointer of his own.
Up next
Purdue has won three of its four games against the Hurricanes, including a second-rounder in the 1999 NCAA Tournament, when Miami was the No. 10 seed. The Boilermakers lost to Temple as the No. 10 seed in the Sweet 16.
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