CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Manu Lecomte made 10 of 11 free throws and scored 18 points, Sheldon McClellan added 15 and Miami moved into the second round of the NIT by holding off North Carolina Central 75-71 on Tuesday night.
Tonye Jekiri scored 11 points and Deandre Burnett had 10 for Miami (22-12), who saw a 14-point lead with 6:43 left cut to two on three occasions in the final seconds.
Lecomte, McClellan and Davon Reed all made a pair of free throws in the last half-minute and Miami – which felt it earned an NCAA Tournament berth after going 11-9 in Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season and tournament games – finished 23 of 25 from the line.
Jordan Parks scored 23 of his 25 points in the second half for N.C. Central (25-8). Nimrod Hilliard scored 19 and Karamo Jawara finished with 10 for the Eagles.
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