CORAL GABLES, Fla. — In an exciting showdown, Mount St. Mary’s pulled off a surprise win against Miami, overcoming a 10-point deficit to secure a 78-74 victory on Saturday. Javon Ervin played a crucial role, converting three out of four free-throw attempts in the last minute of overtime, and Carmelo Pacheco sealed the game with two additional free throws just five seconds before the final buzzer.

This marked only the second time in history that Mount St. Mary’s has defeated a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference, and it was their first victory ever against Miami, which now finds itself struggling with eight losses out of its last nine games.

Mount St. Mary’s found rhythm in the second half, hitting four three-pointers to catch up to the Hurricanes. Ervin hit a crucial three-pointer with around four minutes remaining, leveling the score at 62. He then pushed the Mountaineers ahead by scoring a layup with 2:15 on the clock, bringing the score to 66-64. Miami attempted to respond with a layup from Jalil Bethea a minute later, but neither team could secure more points, leading to overtime.

During the overtime period, Mount St. Mary’s thrived at the free-throw line, going 9 for 11, while Miami battled to maintain its offense throughout, looking at a five-point deficit with less than a minute remaining. Terrell Ard Jr. was a standout for the Mountaineers, registering 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals coming off the bench. Pacheco contributed significantly with 16 points, including making four of eight attempts from beyond the arc. Additional support came from Joey Cordilia with 11 points and six rebounds, while Dola Adebayo chipped in with a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds. Ervin rounded out the scoring efforts with another 10 points, and as a team, they shot an impressive 50% from the field (30 of 60), including eight of 19 from three-point range, standing in stark contrast to Miami’s struggles of five for 25 from deep.

For the Hurricanes, Matthew Cleveland led the way with 19 points, closely followed by Bethea with 17 and Jalen Blackmon who added 16 points, both of whom came off the bench. Miami’s overall shooting stood at 28 of 69, or 40.6%, reflecting their ongoing challenges in recent matchups.