Miami 60, Georgia Tech 58

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) Tamara James made sure Miami&#39;s debut in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament was a successful one.<br> <br> James banked in a shot in the lane as the horn sounded Friday to lift the ninth-seeded Hurricanes past Georgia Tech 60-58 in the first round, extending their season for at least another day.<br> <br> James finished with 15 points for the Hurricanes (13-15), who advanced to Saturday&#39;s quarterfinals to face No. 4 North Carolina, the tournament&#39;s top seed.<br> <br> James&#39; basket was a surprising end to a game that the Hurricanes controlled much of the way. Miami held Georgia Tech to 29 percent shooting in the first half to take a 36-24 lead at the break, and twice pushed the margin to 14 points after the break.<br> <br> But instead of getting an easy win, the Hurricanes needed their first-team all-conference performer to make a big play to hold off the eighth-seeded Yellow Jackets (13-14).<br> <br> ``A lot of people are doubting us,&#39;&#39; James said. ``The only people who believe in us are the people in the locker room. I think we have something to prove to everybody.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Janie Mitchell, who scored 21 points to lead Georgia Tech, tied the game when Jill Ingram found her alone under the basket for a layup with 2.2 seconds left. The Hurricanes called timeout with 1.8 seconds to play, and coach Ferne Labati called a play the team works on frequently in practice.<br> <br> Yalonda McCormick inbounded the ball near midcourt, heaving it toward the Miami goal. James came down with the ball in the lane, then turned and scooped it over Mitchell. The ball bounced off the backboard and fell through the net, sending the Hurricanes into an oncourt celebration.<br> <br> ``I was thinking in my head, &#39;I&#39;m going to get this ball. Either she&#39;s going to foul me or I&#39;m going to make the basket,&#39;&#39;&#39; James said. ``We got tangled up when I caught the ball. I don&#39;t know how it got up there, but it got up there and I&#39;m happy.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The officials immediately ruled the shot was good, and confirmed it came before the buzzer by reviewing replays at the scorer&#39;s table.<br> <br> Labati said Miami has worked on the play in practice to prepare for such late-game situations.<br> <br> ``In a critical situation, that&#39;s the play,&#39;&#39; Labati said. ``Sometimes in practice it works. Sometimes it doesn&#39;t. But we try to give atmosphere to it whenever we run our play. We try to get people screaming and coaches saying horrible things to the players to get them rattled.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> McCormick&#39;s final pass allowed her to make amends for missing three free throws in the final 45.8 seconds that could have sealed the win.<br> <br> James&#39; basket was a good way to open ACC tournament play for the Hurricanes, who joined the league along with Virginia Tech to become its 10th and 11th members.<br> <br> It also provided the final disappointment in a tough season for Georgia Tech, which lost its seventh straight game. The Yellow Jackets lost key players Kentrina Wilson (knee injury) and Kasha Terry (personal reasons) this year and had to start Lauren Sauer a former volleyball player to help a young team.<br> <br> ``I am proud of my kids&#39; effort and fight,&#39;&#39; Georgia Tech coach MaChelle Joseph said.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s very disappointing (for the season to end). This is a young team that&#39;s persevered through a lot this year. I thought (postseason play) would be something that would propel us into next year.&#39;&#39;

http://accesswdun.com/article/2005/3/139782