NIT : Miami 66, Valparaiso 50

It’s not the true definition of March Madness and it’s not the Big Dance, but in the end it was a post-season win and the Canes’ season rolls on.

Miami beat Valparaiso, 66-50 in front of a ‘crowd’ of 1,229 at the BankUnited Center on Wednesday night and did so, again without the services of leading scorer, Durand Scott.

UM learned earlier in the day that Scott will miss a total of six games for receiving impermissible benefits. Scott sat against Florida State in the ACC Tournament and was again absent as the new ruling came down hours before tip-off.

Should Miami reach the NIT Championship, Scott’s suspension wouldn’t carry over to next season and his reinstatement requires him to pay the value of the received benefits to charity.

Scott or no Scott, the Canes got the win and close strong, scoring the games final twelve points, holding the Crusaders scoreless for the game’s final 4:23.

Valparaiso, a solid three-point shooting team, went only 5-of-27 from beyond the arc, making only two of it’s first nineteen attempts. The Crusaders were also without guards Jay Harris and Matt Kenney, who both missed the game with flu-like symptoms.

The Canes led, 24-23 at the half, but the Crusaders hung tough early in the second half. With the UM lead trimmed to 32-30 and 14:22 remaining, Miami finally pulled away, courtesy of a 12-3, fueled by consecutive threes from Rion Brown, Scott’s replacement, and Trey McKinney-Jones. Brown led Canes scorers with eighteen points, followed by Shane Larkin, who put up twelve.

Next up for Miami, another home showdown this Monday night with sixth-seed Minnesota. Tip off is 9pm ET at The BUC and the game will be televised nationally via ESPN.

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