January 9, 1999
By JEFF SHAIN
AP Sports Writer
MIAMI (AP) – Antoni Wyche scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half as Notre Dame ended Miami’s seven-game winning streak, beating the Hurricanes 71-68 Saturday night.
Martin Ingelsby added 16 points, including four 3-pointers, as the Fighting Irish (9-7, 3-2 Big East) held off a late Miami threat to win for the seventh time in their past nine games.
Notre Dame held a 67-59 lead with 2:28 left, but Tim James scored four straight points and Vernon Jennings got a steal and layup to pull the Hurricanes within two with 1:11 remaining.
Jennings nearly got another steal on Notre Dame’s ensuing possession, but Phil Hickey rebounded a David Graves miss for the Irish with 30 seconds left. Wyche hit two free throws with 26 seconds remaining, and James missed a 3-pointer to seal Miami’s fate.
Tim James scored 15 of his 17 points after halftime to lead the Hurricanes (9-3, 3-1), but saw his streak of consecutive 20-point outings end at five.
Johnny Hemsley added 15 points for the Hurricanes, but had only three in the second half. Miami, which upset No. 10 St. John’s 84-79 Wednesday night, lost for the first time since a 74-65 defeat at Kentucky on Dec. 5.
Notre Dame was playing its third game in five days, created when its Jan. 2 home game against Villanova was postponed by snow. That game was made up Thursday, a 93-62 loss.
Freshmen Troy Murphy and David Graves each had 13 points and eight rebounds for Notre Dame. The Irish made 24 of 43 field-goal attempts, becoming the first team in 40 games to shoot better than 50 percent against the Hurricanes.
Miami led 31-29 at halftime, but Wyche scored seven points as the Irish opened the second half with a 17-8 burst to take the lead. Wyche’s steal and layup with 12:27 left capped the run, giving Notre Dame a 46-39 advantage.