Senior nights always bring tears, but Tuesday night’s edition at the Dean Dome also brought fireworks.
Led by a heroic effort from point guard Joel Berry, the ninth-ranked Tar Heels rallied from 16 points down in the second half to tie things up with four seconds remaining.
However, Miami’s Ja’Quan Newton turned around and hit a deep three at the buzzer from just inside half court to give the Hurricanes (21-8, 10-7 ACC) a shocking 91-88 victory.
It was a stunning ending to an extremely emotional night in Chapel Hill, as it started to feel inevitable down the stretch that Berry would will UNC (22-8, 11-6 ACC) to a victory.
Miami players pile on top of one another after Ja’Quan Newton’s buzzer-beating three-pointer won the game for them. (Todd Melet)
The Florida native refused to be denied on his night. He just simply ran out of time.
Berry scored 17 of his career-high 31 points over the final six minutes, including the shot that tied the game and nearly sent Chapel Hill into a frenzy.
Unfortunately, the fairy tale ending proved too good to be true as Newton hit a shot that triggered flashbacks of Villanova’s Kris Jenkins in the 2016 NCAA Championship game–a shot that followed an equally impressive one by UNC’s Marcus Paige.
A crowd that stayed loud throughout the entire night on Tuesday was rendered silent at a moment’s notice.
On a night where Berry and fellow senior Theo Pinson—who finished with 12 points and a career-high 11 assists—did everything they could to make sure they finished their Smith Center careers on the right note, it simply was not meant to be.
“We had two options,” head coach Roy Williams told reporters after the game about the final sequence. “Joel could always pull up and shoot it. We also had a down screen for somebody on the other side, but [Berry] saw enough daylight. He shot it and it went in.
“Marcus [Paige] against Villanova,” the coach added. “You think now you’ve got it into overtime. But Ja’Quan, he really sized it up. He starts right, they made him go a little bit left, but he tried to get enough space, felt like he could make it and made a great shot.”
Newton’s game-winner gave him the last nine Miami points, and capped off a night that saw both teams shoot 54 percent from the floor. In total, six Miami players scored in double figures—led by 18 from 5-foot-7-inch point guard Chris Lykes.
With emotions running high in the Dean Dome, UNC committed three straight careless turnovers to begin the second half.
Theo Pinson (1) and Joel Berry (2) carried UNC back from a 16-point deficit, but it would not be enough to avoid the painful loss on Senior Night. (Todd Melet)
This allowed Miami to stretch its eight-point halftime lead into the 16-point margin that the Tar Heels miraculously overcame.
Graduate transfer Cameron Johnson finished with 20 points and five rebounds for the Tar Heels, while Luke Maye chipped in his 16th double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Along with the senior duo of Berry and Pinson, the pair helped slowly chip away at what once seemed like an insurmountable Miami lead.
Although the result didn’t turn out the way it felt like the gods intended for a few short minutes, it was without a doubt a memorable night for all the right reasons.
UNC can still earn the No. 2 seed for the ACC Tournament with a win over Duke this Saturday, and Tar Heel fans got one more chance to witness the magic that Berry and Pinson are capable of live, and in person.
That’s what people will remember as time wears on, not who won or lost a game in late February without much impact on the conference standings.
“The clock ran out on us, that’s an old saying,” Williams said. “But do you realize how fortunate I feel to have coached Joel Berry and Theo Pinson for four years? It doesn’t get much better than that, guys.”
Up Next:
The Tar Heels will close out the regular season in Durham at Cameron Indoor Stadium against No. 5 Duke on Saturday, March 3. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:15 p.m.
Game Notes:
- Senior walk-ons Kane Ma and Aaron Rohlman each started the game for UNC and played the first two minutes before returning to the bench.
- UNC hit 10 of its 13 three-pointers during the second-half comeback.
- Miami was playing without star guard Bruce Brown, who was out with an injury.
- The loss snapped UNC’s season-high six-game win streak.
Cover photo via Todd Melet
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