Tru Washington made three free throws with 3.7 seconds left as the Miami Hurricanes defeated the host North Carolina State Wolfpack 77-76 in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup in Raleigh, N.C., on Saturday afternoon.

Miami, which finished game on an 8-0 run, outscored North Carolina State in the paint, 56-32. The Hurricanes also had a 20-8 edge on offensive rebounds.

Washington, who had missed Miami’s three previous games due to personal reasons, finished with 13 points of the bench.

Miami (20-5, 9-3) got a game-high 26 points and six rebounds from Malik Reneau. The Hurricanes, who. have won three straight games, also got 17 points and nine rebounds from Shelton Henderson and 14 points, five rebounds and four assists from Tre Donaldson.

North Carolina State (18-8, 9-4) had. a chance to win at the buzzer but freshman Matt Able missed a running 3-pointer. Able finished with a career-high 17 points off the bench, but scored just two in the second half.

The Wolfpack also got 17 points and nine rebounds from Ven-Allen Lubin, and 14 points — all in the second half — from Paul McNeil Jr.

North Carolina State has lost two straight games.

The first half, which featured eight ties and 10 lead changes, ended with North Carolina State on top, 42-37. The Wolfpack got a huge first-half lift from Able, who had 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting, including 3-for-3 on 3-pointers. As a team, North Carolina State was 5-for-13 on 3-pointers as compared to 1-for-7 by the Hurricanes in the half.

With. 5:43 left in the second half, Donaldson made two technical free throws to give Miami a 69-65 lead. The technical was charged to North Carolina State’s Darrion Williams for kicking Donaldson in a loose-ball scrum.

However, following the free throws, North Carolina State went on an 11-0 run.

Miami then went on its 8-0 run that ended after Washington got fouled on a 3-point try with 3.7 seconds left. Williams was charged with the foul as he tried to close out Washington on a corner 3-pointer that turned out to be the biggest play of the game.

–Field Level Media

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Nothing is worse than a sore loser, except maybe an intentional one.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed a number of topics facing the league at his annual All-Star Weekend press conference on Saturday and the biggest of them at the present time surrounds teams tanking for better draft picks.

The Utah Jazz were just fined $500,000 for limiting the court time of two of its best players, while the Indiana Pacers were docked $100,000 for roster manipulation that kept three starters from a recent game.

Silver is not ignorant of the reasons why teams would prefer to lose during a season that has already gone sideways. But he is not shy about pointing out that their blatant approach is an eyesore.

“Are we seeing behavior that is worse this year than we’ve seen in recent memory? Yes, is my view,” Silver said before All-Star Saturday festivities. “Which was what led to those fines, and not just those fines but to my statement that we’re going to be looking more closely at the totality of all the circumstances this season in terms of teams’ behavior, and very intentionally wanted teams to be on notice.”

It’s the integrity of the game that Silver says gives him the most pause.

While $600,000 in fines were handed out this week alone, Silver says the league could impose additional penalties, up to and including the forfeiture of the teams’ draft picks.

“I think we’re coming at it in two ways,” Silver said. “One is, again, focusing on the here and now, the behavior we’re seeing from our teams and doing whatever we can to remind them of what their obligation is to the fans and to their partner teams. But No. 2 … the competition committee started earlier this year re-examining the whole approach to how the draft lottery works.”

While Silver also addressed NBA expansion, he said more details will be known next month. The WNBA’s labor strife was framed as a more pressing issue, with the commissioner hopeful that the upcoming season will spur a willingness to reach a deal.

“I’m not ready to set a drop-dead date, but I will say, as I look at the calendar and the amount that we need to get done really over the next two months, because training camps are scheduled to open roughly two months from now,” Silver said.

“… I’m encouraged there has been more back and forth over the past few weeks. I think there’s been more direct engagement from players and team owners. I have not been at the table, but I’m very involved behind the scenes.”

Las Vegas and Seattle have been rumored to be next in line for NBA expansion teams, with Silver neither confirming nor denying interest in either city. He did say the NBA is not considering relocating any of its teams at this time.

“My sense is at the March board of governors meetings we’ll be having further discussions around an expansion process,” Silver said. “We won’t be voting at the March meeting, but we will likely come out of those meetings ready, prepared to take a next step in terms of potentially talking to interested parties.”

–Doug Padilla, Field Level Media

Robert Wright III set a new career high with 39 points to lead No. 22 BYU to a 90-86 overtime win against Colorado in Big 12 Conference play on Saturday in Provo, Utah.

Wright made 12 of 16 field goal attempts and all four 3-point attempts to lead shorthanded BYU (19-6, 7-5 Big 12) to its second straight win.

AJ Dybantsa had a double-double with 20 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.

Isaiah Johnson led Colorado (14-12, 4-9) with 27 points. Barrington Hargress contributed 20 points and Bangot Dak added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Buffaloes, who have lost two straight games.

Cougars’ second-leading scorer Richie Saunders went down 45 seconds into the game, left the court with assistance and did not return. He apparently sustained a leg injury.

Aleksej Kostic hit the go-ahead three as BYU took an 85-82 lead with 1:15 left in overtime.

Sebastian Rancik missed two threes and Dak and Johnson each missed a trey in the final two Colorado possessions. After Wright and Dybantsa split their foul shots, Hargress sank a pair of free throws and Colorado trailed 87-84.

But Wright made two free throws for an 89-84 lead with 15.7 seconds left. Johnson’s quick layup brought the Buffaloes within 89-86. With six seconds left, Wright made 1 of 2 free throws and Dybantsa was whistled for a foul on the miss.

Holland missed two foul shots however and BYU grabbed the rebound to secure the win.

Colorado forced overtime with a 7-2 run. Dak’s jumper pulled Colorado within 78-76 and Johnson’s layup through traffic tied the game with 18 seconds to play. Dybantsa shot an airball as time expired.

The teams traded treys on four straight, first-half possessions. Wright, Hargress, Tyler Mrus and Johnson all connected for a three, but it was BYU that held a 15-12 lead at the 12:50 mark.

Johnson’s step-back three cut the BYU lead to 37-32 at the half.

Early in the second half, Dak’s three-point play was followed by hook shots on the next two Colorado possessions as part of the Buffaloes 13-0 run that gave them a 45-39 lead.

Later, Wright’s trey gave BYU a 65-60 advantage as part of a 10-2 scoring spree.

–Field Level Media