Cleveland scores 30, hits three to send game to OT, but UM falls short 98-94 to Cal
The Miami Hurricanes fought harder than they had in months. Their bench was unusually spirited. They took Cal to overtime on the road late Saturday night thanks to a clutch Matthew Cleveland three-pointer with one second remaining in regulation.
But it was not enough. The Canes lost 98-94 and remained winless in the ACC (0-9) as they headed back on the long plane ride home. The Hurricanes dropped to 4-16 overall.
Despite the result, coach Bill Courtney was encouraged.
“I thought our guys played extremely hard, gave effort; it was one of the few times this year when we stuck together and fought through adversity, so I was very proud of that,” said Courtney, who was named interim coach when Jim Larranaga retired unexpectedly on Dec. 26.
“It came down to getting some key stops toward the end of regulation and in overtime, and we just didn’t finish the job. But we scored. We shared the ball. We were tough during long stretches of the game and if we continue forth with this effort, continue to improve and stay together, I think there’s good things on the horizon for this group.”
Cleveland finished the night with 30 points for his third straight 20-point performance. The senior has scored double figures in nine of the past 10 games.
Brandon Johnson had 16 points and eight rebounds. Paul Djobet added 12 points and freshman Jalil Bethea 11. Center Lynn Kidd, who had been a regular starter, was left off the game roster, per coach’s decision.
Cal was led by freshman Jeremiah Wilkinson, who scored a career-high 30 points and DJ Campbell added a season-high 22.
Miami, which had struggled shooting from distance in recent games, went 14 of 27 from beyond the arc (52 percent),
UM took the lead on a layup by Johnson with 10:52 left to play. Down three, 79-76, Cleveland hit the big three to send the game to overtime.
Cal took an early four-point lead, 85-81, three minutes into the extra period after four consecutive free throws. The Hurricanes pulled to within three on a three-pointer by AJ Staton-McCray with 7.2 to go, but couldn’t get any closer.
Miami returns to the Watsco Center on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. game against the Virginia Cavaliers.