Miami (Ohio) surprises No. 10 Boston College

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

So much for the marquee team in the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic.

Miami forward Danny Horace soars over Boston College's Ryan Sidney for two points during last night's first-round game of the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic. Associated Press

The Eagles entered last night's game 9-0 and ranked No. 10 — the only ranked team in the eight-team field. The RedHawks were 2-5 prior to last night, and had lost three consecutive games.

Now, Miami will be playing in tonight's semifinals, taking on Georgia at 5 p.m. Boston College, no longer undefeated, will play in the consolation bracket against Arkansas State at 1:30 p.m., when a crowd much smaller than last night's 1,725 is expected.

"We weren't coming into this game like we had nothing to lose," said Miami center Alex Shorts. "We just wanted to get better and get us some wins."

Shorts was big in the victory, tallying 21 points, including the go-ahead basket with 59 seconds remaining.

The game featured nine lead changes, and neither team led by more than six points. Miami completed the upset by out-scoring Boston College 8-1 in the final minute, with Shorts scoring five of those crucial points.

"It wasn't by any means a perfect game," Miami head coach Charlie Coles said. "But it was a game played with the heart."

Shorts was a good example. With Miami trailing 66-65, Shorts drove down the baseline and missed a dunk. The long rebound was grabbed by Ben Helmers, who passed it back to Shorts.

Again, Shorts made an aggressive drive to the basket, this time banking in a shot while drawing a foul on Boston College's Andrew Bryant. Shorts made the subsequent free throw to give the RedHawks a 68-66 lead they would not relinquish.

"I wasn't about to go up there soft," said Shorts, a 6-foot-8 senior. "You don't bring Kool-Aid to a vodka party."

The sequence was typical of the game, as the RedHawks seemed to out-hustle the Eagles throughout.

"They just beat us to all the loose balls," said Troy Bell, Boston College's All-America guard. "That's what was the difference."

Bell had two chances to tie the game in the closing seconds. A 91 percent free throw shooter, he made just one of two free throws with 57.5 seconds left to cut the Miami lead to 68-67. Later, with Miami ahead 70-67, Bell missed a 3-point shot.

Bell, a 6-1 junior, still finished with a game-high 29 points, although he was just 2-of-4 from the free throw line in the final two minutes.

"I don't know what the hell happened on the free throws," Bell said. "I never miss those, especially at crunch time."

Shorts and Chester Mason combined to sink five of six free throws in the final 24 seconds to clinch the victory for Miami.

The Eagles shot just 34 percent from the field (21-of-61), including 29 percent from 3-point range (8-of-28). The 67 points were also Boston College's lowest output of the season, and 17 below its average.

"We had good looks, we just missed open jump shots," Boston College head coach Al Skinner said. "We didn't play as smart as I think we can."

Bell had 16 points at halftime, when the Eagles held a 39-37 advantage.

Behind Shorts' 13 second-half points, Miami led by as many as six, 65-59, with 6:05 remaining in the game. But over the next five minutes, the RedHawks did not score, allowing the Eagles to forge a 66-65 lead.

"We never gave up," Shorts said. "Even though we were struggling, we kept talking about finishing strong."

Helmers, a senior guard, played a key role in Miami starting strong. He came off the bench to score 12 points. He entered last night's game averaging 2.3 points per game.

Mason added 18 points for Miami, and Danny Horace had eight points and 11 rebounds.

Kenny Walls had 19 points and was one of only five players to score for the Eagles.

"We're not invincible," Bell said. "I think a lot of guys thought we couldn't be beat before this game."

• Georgia 80, Arkansas State 68: Four players scored in double-figures to lead the Bulldogs over the Indians in last night's second game.

Rashad Wright and Jarvis Hayes led the Bulldogs with 16 points each. Chris Daniels added 14 and Ezra Williams 12 for Georgia, which improved to 10-1 with its fifth consecutive victory.

"We played just good enough to win," Georgia head coach Jim Harrick said. "It was kind of a sloppy game, very physical. I thought the key was our zone (defense). I think it stymied them a little bit."

The Indians, behind 7-foot center Jason Jennings, led by as many as eight early in the game. But a 12-2 surge by Georgia turned a 21-19 deficit into a 31-23 lead it would never lose.

Georgia took a 43-31 lead into halftime, and led by as many as 15 early in the second half.

A 12-1 run by the Indians late in the game cut the Bulldogs' lead to 70-66, but Wright responded with a 3-pointer to push the advantage to 73-66 with less than two minutes remaining.

Georgia converted five of six free throws in the final 53 seconds to seal the victory.

Jennings led Arkansas State with 22 points and seven rebounds. He also tied a Rainbow Classic record with eight blocked shots. Nick Rivers added 17, including 15 in the second half.

The Indians (7-4) will play Boston College in a consolation game at 1:30 p.m.