RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Richard Howell scored a career-high 17 points in his first start in nearly two months, and North Carolina State beat Miami 72-70 on Sunday to snap a three-game losing streak.
Tracy Smith added 16 points and Scott Wood finished with 10 for the Wolfpack (12-7, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). They blew a 17-point lead but made two critical stops in the final 30 seconds to extend Miami’s road woes.
Malcolm Grant scored 23 points and Reggie Johnson added 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Hurricanes (12-7, 1-4), whose 12th straight ACC road loss wasn’t decided until the final buzzer.
Miami had the ball down 71-70 in the closing seconds but Ryan Harrow stole the ball from Durand Scott with 20 seconds left. C.J. Williams hit a free throw with 15.9 seconds left to make it a two-point game, then had a hand in the play that prevented overtime.
