Scott leads Miami past No. 15 Florida State 78-62

[February 27, 2012]  CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) -- Durand Scott scored 17 points and Miami beat No. 15 Florida State 78-62 on Sunday night, snapping a six-game losing streak to the rival Seminoles with a victory that enhances its NCAA tournament resume.

Kenny Kadji added 15 points for the Hurricanes (17-10, 8-6 Atlantic Coast Conference), who pulled into a tie with Virginia for fourth place in the conference standings.

Miami played without starting center Reggie Johnson, declared ineligible by the school an hour before the game after an investigation revealed members of his family had received benefits not allowed under NCAA rules. According to a statement released by the university, "Johnson was unaware of the benefits and his family was told they were permissible by a member of the former basketball coaching staff."

Miami is seeking a quick resolution from the NCAA in an attempt to reinstate Johnson, who is averaging 10.6 points per game.

Michael Snaer scored 20 points to lead third-place Florida State (19-9, 10-4).

The Seminoles rallied from a 59-42 deficit with 5:07 remaining and got within 65-58 on Snaer's two free throws with 2:39 left.

Scott, Kadji and Shane Larkin each hit two free throws in the next 58 seconds as Miami increased the lead to 71-58. Larkin finished with 13 points.

The Hurricanes expanded a four-point halftime lead and outscored the Seminoles 14-8 in the first 5:15 of the second half. Rion Brown hit the fourth 3-pointer in Miami's early second-half spurt to increase the lead to 38-28.

Snaer's three-point play with 10:48 left cut it to 44-35 before the Hurricanes responded with consecutive 3-pointers from Trey McKinney Jones and Malcolm Grant.

Miami shot 7 of 13 from beyond the arc in the second half.

The Hurricanes rallied from an eight-point deficit and took the lead for good with a 13-2 run in the final 4:34 of the first half. Scott scored seven points during the surge and his layup with 22 seconds remaining gave the Hurricanes a 24-20 lead at halftime.

Okaro White scored four points during an 8-0 run for the Seminoles midway through the first half. White's basket with 5:37 remaining capped the spurt and gave Florida State an 18-11 lead.

Miami was held scoreless for a 7:03 stretch until Scott made the second of two free throw attempts with 4:34 left to cut the Seminoles' lead to 18-12.

[Associated Press]

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