Miami holds out against Notre Dame's last minute run
(20-13) 86 
@ #1
90 (30-1)
Miami #12 Tavon Cash slams it down on Notre Dame #5 Matt Farrell.
Starting Lineups:
Notre Dame | Miami
Matt Farrell
-PG- Tavon Cash
Steve Vasturia
-SG- Davon Reed
V. J. Beachem
-SF- Rashad Muhammad
Bonzie Colson
-PF- Dewan Huell
John Mooney
-C- Kamari Murphy
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- This may not be football, but this matchup was not a game to miss for college basketball fans. With Notre Dame winning on a Justin Yoon field goal in football and Miami winning in a blowout win in their meeting during the regular season, this game would be the one to break the tie. And it did not disappoint one bit.
Although Miami kept the lead for the majority of the game, Notre Dame always seem to keep the deficit small. Much of the credit goes to senior forward V.J. Beachem who scored game-high 28 points as he repeatedly found holes in the Canes' 1-3-1 and 2-3 defenses. The Fighting Irish managed to take the lead briefly in the second half but were unable to gain any further momentum.
While the game score looks close, it was only due to the Fighting Irish's last minute run. Beforehand, Miami maintained a steady ten point lead. The lead went down to four points after several Notre Dame conversions and missed free throws from Cash and Huell.
Carrying their hot hand from the Duke game, the Miami big men continued going off against the opposing frontcourt. Dewan Huell and Kamari Murphy led the Hurricanes in scoring with 23 and 18 points, respectively. Backup center Rodney Miller took advantage of his additional playing time after Huell got into foul trouble early in the first half, finishing the game with 9 points, 4 rebounds, and a block.
Besides the big men, Miami's other highlight is none other than Tavon Cash. Since the big men have stepped up their offensive production, Cash did not have to be too aggressive with scoring and instead focus more on setting up his teammates. The freshman guard finished the game with 17 points and 13 assists.
Advancing to the third round, Miami will be playing the winner of the Louisville and Virginia Tech.
Notre Dame | 40 | 46 || 86
Miami |44 | 46 || 90
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
V.J. Beachem: 28 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 11/17 FG, 2/2 3PT, 4/4 FT
Steve Vasturia: 17 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk, 6/16 FG, 1/5 3PT, 4/4 FT
John Mooney: 10 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 5/12 FG, 0/1 FT
Elijah Burns: 9 pts, 8 reb, 1 stl, 3/6 FG, 3/4 FT
Miami Hurricanes
Dewan Huell: 23 pts, 6 reb, 1 stl, 2 blk, 9/16 FG, 5/6 FT
Kamari Murphy: 19 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk, 6/9 FG, 7/7 FT
Tavon Cash: 17 pts, 3 reb, 13 ast, 2 stl, 6/13 FG, 0/1 3PT, 7/11 FT
Rodney Miller: 9 pts, 4 reb, 1 blk, 4/6 FG, 1/1 FT
Hibbert Player of the Game: Bonzie Colson: 24 min, 2 pts, 1/5 FG, 5 fouls
Next Game: Winner of Louisville/Virginia Tech
