Nov. 19, 2007

Miami Earns Puerto Rico Tip-Off Title

James Dews scored nine of his 17 points in the second half to lead Miami to a 64-58 win over Providence on Sunday night to win the championship of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

The 6-foot-3 freshman guard, who added two rebounds, scored five points during the last 90 seconds.

The Hurricanes (4-0) also got 16 points from Brian Asbury and 12 from Anthony King.

The Friars jumped out to a 20-12 lead on a jumper by Efejuku with 2:53 to play in the first half. Providence led 22-18 at the half. But Miami rallied at the start of the second half when Brian Asbury connected from beyond the arc with 16:08 to go.

Boston College Defeats Mercer, 73-56

• Webcast on ACC Select

Junior guard Tyrese Rice scored a game-high 19 points and sophomore forward Shamari Spears tallied 12 points and 12 rebounds to lead Boston College to a 73-56 win over Mercer before 4,268 fans in Conte Forum.

Sophomore forward Tyler Roche and freshman swingman Rakim Sanders each added 11 points for the Eagles. Senior center Tyrelle Blair registered eight points, five rebounds and five blocked shots.

Sophomore James Florence and senior Shaddean Aaron led Mercer with 16 points each. Florence also recorded seven rebounds, four assists and five steals.

BC and Mercer were deadlocked at 28-28 at halftime. BC led by as many as five points - 24-19 - in the first half, before the visiting Bears used a 9-2 run to claim a 28-26 advantage with two minutes remaining before the intermission. A Spears field goal with nine seconds left evened the score.

Clemson Victorious in Early Season ACC/CAA Clash over Old Dominion, 66-53

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James Mays had 17 points, including seven during a decisive 24-4 run in the second half, to lead Clemson to a 66-53 win against Old Dominion on Saturday.

The Tigers (3-0) got 16 points from K.C. Rivers, who hit four of seven 3-pointers, and 11 points and 12 rebounds from Trevor Booker.

Old Dominion (2-1) opened the second half with a 10-2 run to take a 40-36 lead with 14:10 left in the game. But Clemson outscored the Monarchs 24-4 over the next nine minutes to put the game away with a 60-44 lead with less than five minutes left in the game.

Tar Heels Roll In Home Opener

Tyler Hansbrough had 27 points while Danny Green scored 15 to lead No. 1 North Carolina past Iona 107-72 in its home opener on Sunday.

Wayne Ellington added 14 for the Tar Heels (2-0), who never trailed and quickly turned the game into a display of the all-around attack that has made them an early favorite to win the national championship. Five UNC players scored in double figures.

North Carolina was coming off a 72-68 win over Davidson, an NCAA tournament team from last season that provided a tough test to open the season. But there was little drama here, except perhaps for how quickly the Tar Heels would hit the 100-point mark with Roy Williams' fast-paced attack.

Winthrop Edges Georgia Tech, 79-73

Michael Jenkins scored 20 points and Winthrop beat Georgia Tech 79-73 on Sunday in the Paradise Jam.

Trailing by 10 points early in the second half, Winthrop scored 12 straight points, taking a 47-45 lead with 14:58 to play on Jenkins' jumper from the top. Gaynor also hit three shots from behind the arc during the run.

Georgia Tech (2-2) fought back to tie it four times, including a 3-pointer that Matt Causey banked in to knot the game at 68 with 2:50 remaining. But the Yellow Jackets never regained the lead.

New Orleans knocks off No. 21 NC State, 65-63

As they thought about it in the post-game lockerroom, NC State's players and head coach Sidney Lowe knew it wasn't the 3-point shot that New Orleans junior T.J. Worley banked in with 1.7 seconds to play that beat the No. 21 ranked Wolfpack Sunday night at the RBC Center.

They knew it wasn't the intentional foul called on junior Courtney Fells that turned into a four-point play with less than a minute to go that did them in.

It was the Wolfpack's own lack of purpose and defensive ability that allowed the Privateers (2-0) to come back from an 11-point second-half deficit and upset the home-standing Wolfpack, 65-63, in front of 13,072 spectators.

South Florida Sneaks Past Florida State, 68-67

South Florida pulled out a thrilling 68-67 win over in-state foe Florida State during the final game of the Glenn Wilkes Classic Sunday.

Seminoles guard Jason Rich hit a jumper with 42 seconds remaining to pull Florida State within one, but fellow guard Toney Douglas last-second was for naught, giving the Bulls the upset.

The Seminoles (3-2) lead twice early in the first, but trailed throughout the rest of the game. Down 39-30 at the half, Florida State used a 15-8 run to start the second and eventually tied the game at 52.

South Florida guard Chris Howard hit two free-throws with 56 seconds left to keep the Bulls (2-3) ahead of the Seminoles. Florida State had no answer for South Florida's impressive 3-point shooting, which went 11-of-18 for the game, including forward Orane Chin, who went 3-for-3.