Miami coach Jim Larranaga has a message he routinely tells his players.
“Coach L always says, ‘Calm, cool, collected will win you games,’” Hurricanes reserve Bensley Joseph said with a smile.
No. 23 Miami needed every bit of that mantra to hold off No. 20 Clemson 78-74 on Saturday. Nijel Pack scored 20 points, Isaiah Wong 15 and the Hurricanes held on after opening a 12-point lead in the second half.
“We were able to do that in the last five minutes,” Joseph said.
Wong and Pack each hit 3-pointers right after halftime for the Hurricanes (18-5, 9-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who used a 21-9 run to open a 56-44 lead with 11:10 to play.