CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- For the first 19 minutes Wednesday night, things were clicking for Miami against Florida State in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup.
The Hurricanes were leading the 15th-rated Seminoles by seven points, and thoughts of a second consecutive victory over a ranked team -- Miami beat then-No. 9 North Carolina in its previous outing -- looked to be very much in the realm of possibility.
But things took a dramatic turn at that point.
Beginning with the last minute of the first half and extending through the first seven minutes of the second, the Seminoles went on a 20-2 run, taking command and never letting go on their way to a 75-57 victory over the Hurricanes.
"The first half was nip and tuck, and we couldn't get over the hump," said coach Leonard Hamilton, whose Seminoles were down 34-31 at the break. "The second half our defense tightened up a little bit, and we got a stretch there where we had eight straight stops. And we did a much better job executing on the offensive end and got some baskets on easy opportunities.
"During that stretch, we got enough separation, and we were able to hang on."
After shooting 44.4 percent from the floor in the first half, the Seminoles (19-4, 7-3 ACC) hit at a 60 percent clip in the second half. They built leads of 20-plus points and answered the only threat the Hurricanes were able to mount.
Trailing 51-40 approaching the 10-minute mark of the game, the Hurricanes (14-7, 4-5) scored a couple of quick baskets to get their deficit down to seven points, but the Seminoles quickly regained their balance and shot back in front by double digits. Florida State's biggest lead was 22 points with just over a minute left.
"I thought both teams played really hard and well in the first half," Miami coach Jim Larranaga said. "It was a high-level basketball game. But I thought their effort and intensity and execution in the second half kept us from scoring."
In addition to the hot second-half shooting, the Seminoles were 7 of 18 from 3-point range for the game and 14 of 15 from the free-throw line."
"So they had no weakness in their offensive game," Larranaga said. "They made a lot of key shots and threes. And we were the opposite."
The Hurricanes came into the game shooting 36.9 percent from behind the arc. They made only two in 11 attempts against the Seminoles, the second by D.J. Vasiljevic with just 24 seconds remaining.
"We just didn't get stops," said Miami freshman guard Bruce Brown, who led all scorers with 17 points. "We didn't play the defense we're capable of and just let them score."
Evidence of the Seminoles' efficiency on offense was shown in the stat line for forward Jonathan Isaac, who tied guard Dwayne Bacon for team scoring honors with 15 points. Isaac took only seven shots but made five, including his only 3-point try of the night.
"That's my game," he said. "I just let the game come to me."
The two teams played on fairly even terms through the first 20 minutes with the biggest spread Miami's seven-point lead with 1:07 left in the half when Brown's two free throws made it 34-27. The Seminoles' biggest lead in the period was an 18-14 cushion. The Hurricanes responded at that point with an 8-0 run and were up by three at the break.
Guard Terance Mann's 3-pointer on Florida State's first possession of the second half quickly tied the game at 34-34, and the Seminoles went on to start the period on a 16-2 run to take a 47-36 lead at the first media timeout. Center Michael Ojo scored five points in the run on three free throws and dunk.
Brown finally got Miami back on the board on a layup at the 12:20 mark, but forward Marquez Smith countered with a dunk for the Seminoles on the ensuing possession, and Florida State rolled from there.
"That first little spurt in the second half we locked on our defense," Isaac said, "and I think that made a difference down the stretch."
NOTES:
-- Florida State guard Dwayne Bacon extended his streak of double-figure scoring games to 32 in a row.
-- The Seminoles' victory snapped Miami's three-game winning streak in the series.
-- Miami plays at North Carolina State on Saturday. The Seminoles return home to oppose Clemson on Sunday.
