National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
North Carolina 67, Miami-Florida 65
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, January 5, 2021
Where: Watsco Center, Coral Gables, Florida
Officials: # Brian O'Connell, # Pat Adams, # Michael Stephens
Attendance: N/A

Despite being closely guarded, Andrew Platek squeezed a shot in along the right baseline with three seconds left to lift the North Carolina Tar Heels to a hard-fought 67-65 ACC road win over the Miami Hurricanes on Wednesday night.

Miami's Harlond Beverly then missed a 70-foot shot off the front rim that would have given the Hurricanes the victory.

UNC (7-4, 2-2) won its second straight game while Miami (4-5, 0-4) lost its third in a row. The Hurricanes were up by 10 points late but then missed eight consecutive shots, and the Tar Heels took advantage.

North Carolina's Leaky Black scored a game-high 16 points, making all four of his 3-point shots. His 3-pointer with 1:42 remaining gave UNC its first lead of the second half.

Kerwin Walton had 13 points for UNC, and Day'Ron Sharpe added 12 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.

The Hurricanes were led by Earl Timberlake, who had 12 points and a game-high five assists. Elijah Olaniyi scored 11 points, and Nysier Brooks added 10 before fouling out.

Miami, which has battled the injury bug all season, was without Kameron McGusty. He has missed four of the past five games due to a right hamstring injury.

The Hurricanes are also still missing Chris Lykes, Miami's leading scorer last season, who missed his seventh successive game due to a left ankle injury.

UNC led 32-30 at halftime despite committing 11 turnovers and shooting just 31 percent from the floor. The Tar Heels led by as many as six points in the first half before they missed 11 straight field goals, a streak in which Miami turned a 14-8 lead into 21-16 advantage.

Miami's biggest lead in the first half was five points, as the Hurricanes shot just 35.7 percent and committed eight turnovers.

The difference that tilted the first half slightly in UNC's favor was its 5-for-11 three-point shooting (45.5 percent). Miami shot 2-of-7 from deep (28.6 percent).

Miami took a 53-43 lead with 12:06 left in the second half, but UNC chipped away. Black, after missing two free throws with 2:08 left when the Tar Heels trailed by one, hit an open three-pointer 30 seconds later to give UNC its first lead of the second half, 63-61.

Miami's Isaiah Wong tied the score 65-65 with 16 seconds left, making a tough shot in the lane. That led to Platek's dramatic game-winner.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
North Carolina   Miami-Florida
Leaky Black 16 Scoring Earl Timberlake 12
Caleb Love 4 Assists Earl Timberlake 5
Day'Ron Sharpe 16 Rebounds Nysier Brooks 6
Armando Bacot 5 Free Throws Made Earl Timberlake 6
Leaky Black 2 Steals Earl Timberlake 5
Garrison Brooks 3 Blocks Nysier Brooks 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
North Carolina 67 34.4 9-20 16-22 13 43 6 9 20
Miami-Florida 65 34.9 3-16 18-22 9 31 7 14 14