CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) Chris Lykes scored 21 points and Miami fought off Bethune Cookman for a 78-70 victory on Saturday.
Lykes’ two free throws with 2:19 remaining gave Miami (3-0) the lead for good at 69-67. Anthony Lawrence and DJ Vasiljevic hit 3-pointers in the final two minutes to secure the win for Miami.
Vasiljevic scored 20 points and Lawrence finished with 13 points.
The Wildcats (2-3) rallied from a 10-point deficit early in the second half and took a 50-48 lead on Wali Parks’ two free throws with 9:16 remaining. Miami built a 67-61 lead on Lawrence’s two free throws with 4:21 before Bethune Cookman ran off six unanswered points capped by Malik Maitland’s two free throws with 2:38 left.
Maitland scored a game-high 29 points for the Wildcats. Maitland shot 11 of 16 from the field, including 5 of 7 from behind the arc.
BIG PICTURE:
Bethune Cookman: The Wildcats are predicted to finish first in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference for the first time in program history. The return of four starters and nine players from last year’s squad which tied for the MEAC regular season championship factored heavily in the pre-season outlook.
Miami: Forward Anthony Walker, of Nottingham, Md., and guard Isaiah Wong, of Trenton, N.J., signed national letters of intent to play with the Hurricanes next season. Recruiting website Rivals rates Walker and Wong among the top 100 high school players nationally.
UP NEXT:
Bethune Cookman: The Wildcats return home and face Omaha on Tuesday.
Miami: The Hurricanes will play LaSalle in the first round of the Wooden Legacy Thursday in Fullerton, Calif.
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