CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Isaiah Wong scored 27 points, Nijel Pack finished with 24 and No. 15 Miami beat Wake Forest 96-87 Saturday.
Norchard Omier had 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting while Jordan Miller added 14 points for the Hurricanes (22-5, 13-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who won their sixth straight and improved to 15-0 at home.
Miami opened the second half with nine unanswered points. The Demon Deacons (17-10, 9-7) rallied from three double-digit deficits, including Andrew Carr’s 3-pointer with 2:22 left cutting Miami's lead to 90-84. But Wong’s jumper and Miller’s layup provided Miami with a cushion.
Tyree Appleby scored 15 points and Damari Monsanto and Cameron Hildreth had 14 each for the Demon Deacons. Carr and Mathew Marsh finished with 12 points each.
Wong scored all of Miami's points during a 13-0 run late in the first half that helped the Hurricanes erase a three-point deficit. His fastbreak dunk with 3:53 remaining capped the surge and put Miami ahead 42-32. Wake Forest pulled within 3, 47-44, at halftime.
The Hurricanes completed their 10th week in the AP Top 25. The NCAA tournament committee also has Miami on the periphery of a top four regional seed in its preliminary list released Saturday.
The Demon Deacons have been on contrasting streaks since Jan. 7, when they began a five-victory string. Then they lost four straight before a three-win streak was snapped Saturday.
Miami's Omier shook off a five-point game at North Carolina on Monday, scoring the first seven points of the game. Omier’s first field goal was a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
Wake Forest visits No. 23 North Carolina State on Wednesday.
Miami visits Virginia Tech on Tuesday.
