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Men's Basketball
at Pitt (Exhibition)
2:00 p.m.
Providence College Athletics
Wednesday, February 16
Coral Gables, Mia.
7:30 PM ET
Providence College
47
at
45
Miami Fla
Friars Hold Off Miami, 47-45
2/16/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 16, 2000
MIAMI (AP) - The Miami Hurricanes chances of earning an NCAA Tournament bid dwindled before Wednesday night's game even tipped off.
Playing without leading scorer Johnny Hemsley, the Hurricanes knew they would need to find other ways to score. It didn't happen as the Hurricanes were upset 47-45 by Providence, which owns the second-worst record in the Big East.
Hemsley, the Big East's third leading scorer (18.1 points per game), suffered a contusion to his left foot when a teammate stepped on his leg in Tuesday's practice. Hemsley, who was replaced in the lineup by freshman Leroy Hurd, is day-to-day.
"They are at the bottom and we're playing to go somewhere," said UM's Vernon Jennings. "But they were playing with a sense of urgency and we were not."
Providence, which stopped a 10-game losing streak, was led by Erron Maxey, who had 14 points and eight rebounds. John Salmons led Miami with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Bland added 10 points.
"When you don't win for six weeks, you kind of feel the world is on your back," Providence coach Tim Welsh said. "Usually when your team is in a losing streak you want to hate your guys. But I knew something big was going to happen."
Happen it did. With the Hurricane's trailing 47-44 with just seconds remaining, Mario Bland's attempt to tie the game with a three-pointer failed when the ball hit the front rim. Vernon Jennings got the rebound and was fouled with 0.3 seconds remaining. He made the first free throw and intentionally missed the second, but Miami never got a shot off.
"I think this is the worst loss I've ever experienced at the University of Miami," Bland said.
Miami led 43-42 with 2:30 to play before Romauld Augustin and Jamaal Camah scored in back-to-back possessions to give the Friars a 46-43 lead. Bland cut the lead to two points with a free throw, but Camah answered with a free throw to put Providence up 47-44.
Providence (9-16, 2-10) last won Jan. 5 against Georgetown. Miami had its six-game conference win streak snapped.
"Defensively, we wanted to make it an ugly game," Welsh said. "Without Hemsley we knew it would be hard for them to score."
Both teams had trouble scoring in the first half, when Providence shot 33 percent and Miami shot 32 percent. Providence had a 6-1 run late in the first half, but Miami went into the break with a 21-20 lead.
Miami shot 15-of-47 (32 percent) for the game and hit only 13-of-22 free throws, including an air ball from Bland in the second half. Despite shooting 78 percent from the line heading into the game, Bland made only 2-of-7 free throws
"They made their shots and we missed our shots," UM coach Leonard Hamilton said. "They made their free throws and we didn't. And that's why we got the loss."
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