The California Golden Bears defeated the Miami Hurricanes 86-85 on Saturday afternoon, traveling 3,000 miles to Coral Gables to steal a win in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup.
In the first half, Miami had found an offensive rhythm, something that had been spotty and inconsistent for the Hurricanes this season and almost absent in their two conference losses. However, the lack of defensive stops made it hard for Miami to build a marginal lead.
Even after over 20 games played, it’s hard to get over just how dominant Shelton Henderson is at 6’6, 240 pounds, especially considering his age as a true freshman. He was imposing his will on Cal early on. It seems every time Henderson drives inside, he’s coming away with points, whether it’s on the shot or at the line, or both. Similar to Henderson’s interior force offensively, Ernest Udeh Jr. brings a physical presence inside on defense, having a powerful block off the backboard – as the ball ricocheted and was sent into a fast break opportunity for Miami. Moreover, the potential for his backdoor alley-oop slam is something the opposing team must account for every single game.
(Detiko Cox/FL Teams)
Earlier in the half, Dante Allen made an elite bounce pass through a tight window to Timo Malovec on a fast break, and Malovec drove to the rim with contact and laid it in for a three-point play. Allen himself made two first-half three-pointers in big moments with huge crowd pops from the fans at the Watsco Center. With three seconds left in the half, Tre Donaldson was at the line for a one-and-one but could not convert, and the score at the end of the first period was 45-44 Cal.
Miami’s offensive success continued in the second half, and the Hurricanes began to pull away. They entered the bonus with over 15 minutes left in the half and went on an 8-0 run to earn their largest lead of the game, up 11 points with 10 minutes left. Udeh Jr. had another alley-oop slam, supporting the Hurricanes’ brand of winning in the points in the paint category – besting Cal in that category 48-26 this game.
“We talked about that at half. They absolutely dominated us,” Cal head coach Mark Madsen said when asked about the offensive disparity. He explained that attacking the paint was a point of emphasis both before the game and in the second half, and said he was satisfied with how his team executed.
However, dominance in that category alone was not enough to secure the win for Miami. The sequence to end the game was wild as Cal’s Noland Dorsey went to the line up by one and missed both free throws, giving Miami a chance to win with just a two-point make with 5.8 seconds remaining. Henderson ended up having a look at the basket inside, but Cal’s smothering defense was too much for the freshman, and Cal came away with the win.
“It’s a long season,” Miami Guard Tre Donaldson said. “No championships are being won right now. It’s the regular season. We got to take it on the chin and move on to the next, and staying together is the biggest thing”.
While he is correct that no trophies can be earned right now, this loss will most likely put Miami on the bubble of an NCAA tournament bid as an at-large team if they come up short in the ACC tournament.
Miami will look to bounce back against a struggling Boston College team (9-12) next Saturday in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.