National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Miami-Florida 63, Illinois 59
When: 8:40 PM ET, Sunday, March 24, 2013
Where: Frank Erwin Special Events Center, Austin, Texas
Officials: # Gary Maxwell, # Antonio Perry, # Doug Shows
Attendance: 14520
By SportsDirect Inc.
Miami 63, Illinois 59: Rion Brown scored 21 points and Shane Larkin added 17 as the Hurricanes slipped past the Fighting Illini to advance to the Sweet 16 in East Regional play at Austin, Texas.

Larkin drained the go-ahead 3-pointer with 59.7 seconds left and Kenny Kadji had 10 points for second-seeded Miami (29-6), which faces third-seeded Marquette on Thursday in Washington, D.C.

Brandon Paul scored 18 points, Nnanna Egwu had 12 points and 12 rebounds and Tyler Griffey added 12 points for seventh-seeded Illinois (23-13).

The Illini had a 55-54 lead with 1:24 left after Tracy Abrams hit one of two free throws. Larkin drained the decisive 3-pointer and later hit two free throws to make it 61-57 with 15.6 seconds left. Egwu’s putback pulled Illinois within two points with 8.6 seconds left before Brown put the game away with a pair of foul shots on the ensuing possession.

The Hurricanes led 29-26 at halftime and increased their advantage to 46-39 on a 3-pointer by Brown with 8:51 remaining. The Illini drew even at 52 on a basket by Abrams with 4:06 left and took the lead 44 seconds later on Paul’s dunk.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Griffey had four of Illinois’ seven 3-pointers. … Brown (five) and Larkin (three) combined for eight of Miami’s nine 3-pointers. … Illinois G D.J. Richardson had just five points on 1-of-11 shooting before fouling out.
Top Game Performances
 
Illinois   Miami-Florida
Brandon Paul 18 Scoring Rion Brown 21
Tracy Abrams 2 Assists Shane Larkin 5
Nnanna Egwu 12 Rebounds Kenny Kadji 8
Tracy Abrams 2 Free Throws Made Shane Larkin 4
Joseph Bertrand 1 Steals Durand Scott 2
Sam McLaurin 2 Blocks Julian Gamble 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Illinois 59 37.7 7-27 6-7 7 36 3 2 8
Miami-Florida 63 40.0 9-25 10-15 12 33 2 4 6