Boston College Athletics
Boston College
Miami Fla
Men's Basketball Knocks Off Miami, 73-72
January 07, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2001
MIAMI (AP) - Jonathan Beerbohm's tip-in with 27 seconds left helped Boston College stave off a furious Miami rally to notch its 11th straight victory with a 73-72 win Sunday.
The Eagles (11-0, 2-0 in Big East) shot 71.4 percent on 10-of-14 from 3-point range in the first half, but fell to 50 percent overall, to post their best start ever. The Eagles went 10-0 to start the 1984-85 season.
Boston College snapped a four-game losing streak to Miami, dating back to February 1997.
Troy Bell, last year's Big East Rookie of the Year, scored 18 of his 19 points in the first half, including his first six from 3-point range. He went 0-for-6 from the field in the second half. Kenny Walls and Xavier Singletary scored 15 points, and freshman Ryan Sidney added 12 points and four steals.
John Salmons led Miami with 18 points and five steals, but his airball at the buzzer sealed BC's dramatic victory.
Salmons' driving layup and ensuing free throw gave Miami a 70-68 lead with 1:48 remaining, but Singletary answered with a 3-pointer at 1:22. Salmons was fouled on a drive and made both free throws as the lead switched back to Miami, 72-71 with 1:03 left.
Miami freshman guard Marcus Barnes added 15 points on 5-of-10 from 3-point range, but his rushed shot down the stretch hurt the Hurricanes.
Bell missed a 3-pointer, but Beerbohm, a 6-foot-7 senior, tapped it once and then again for the winning putback.
Sidney stole the ball from Darius Rice, who scored 12 points, and then was fouled with 12 seconds remaining. He missed both free throws, but Beerbohm back-tapped the rebound to Sidney, who was fouled again.
He missed both free throws again and Miami had one final chance to tie. Following a near turnover, Salmons missed a wide-open 10-footer as time expired.
Trailing 53-34 with 15:21 left, Salmons had two steals and seven points to spark an 18-0 burst to bring Miami within 53-52 with 8:48 left. The run grew to 26-3 as Miami took a 67-60 lead with 3:37 left.
The Eagles, who had scored just three points in a 10:21 span, bounced back with an 8-0 run, as Sidney's steal and layup, along with Walls' four free throws, built BC's lead to 68-67 with 2:09 remaining.
