Top-seeded Miami used a hot first half from Durand Scott to get out to a big early lead, then held off a late North Carolina State charge to post an 81-71 victory in the 2013 ACC Tournament semifinals on Saturday.
Scott scored 19 points in the first half and had 32 for the game before fouling out with 1:53 to go. The senior was 12-of-18 from the floor and 5-of-8 from three-point range.
Scott scored 14 of the Hurricanes’ first 19 points as UM jumped out to an early 19-8 lead. A pair of Scott free throws with 1:18 to go gave Miami its biggest lead of the half at 19, 39-20, before State closed the first 20 minutes on a 9-2 run propelled by a flurry from long-range specialist Scott Wood, who scored a rare four-point play and another three on back-to-back Pack possessions.
Another Wood three at the 12:08 mark of the second half cut the deficit to six at 50-44 and got the large pro-State crowd into a frenzy, but Miami responded with an 11-4 run that pushed the lead back to 13 at 61-48 at 7:42 on another three-pointer from Scott.
N.C. State wouldn’t get the game back into the single digits until the final two minutes on another three by Wood at 1:29 that cut the Miami lead to eight at 79-71.
Larkin had 23 points for Miami on 7-of-15 shooting from the field.
Wood had 21 on 6-of-10 shooting, all from three-point range.
Miami advances to the ACC Tournament Championship Sunday against the winner of the North Carolina-Maryland game.
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