McClinton carries Canes to next round

Star scores 38 in opening win

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, ARK. -- Jack McClinton is now a star in the state of Arkansas -- and not because his last name sounds sort of familiar around these parts.

Instead, McClinton dazzled the locals with his quick drives to the basket and long 3-pointers, scoring a career-high 38 points in seventh-seeded Miami's 78-64 win over 10th-seeded Saint Mary's on Friday.

And here's a scary thought: McClinton might not have been at full strength.

"I had a fever a couple of days before the game," he said. "Our trainers got us on the meds, and I felt pretty good for the game today."

Sure looked like it. Miami trailed 32-27 at halftime. In the second half, the score was McClinton 32, Saint Mary's 32.

"Second half I was just trying to be more aggressive, drive the ball," McClinton said. "Once I made a couple of shots, the defense was kind of on their heels."

Playing just across the Arkansas River from Bill Clinton's presidential library, McClinton scored 10 straight points for Miami early in the second half, part of a 25-5 run that gave the Hurricanes a 52-38 lead. Miami (23-10) missed all six of its 3-point attempts in the first half, but McClinton alone made three in the second.

When Saint Mary's (25-7) pulled within eight at 64-56, McClinton calmly sank an open 3 from the left corner.

Hurricanes coach Frank Haith now faces a second-round matchup with second-seeded Texas in the South Regional on Sunday. Haith was an assistant for the Longhorns under Rick Barnes before taking over at Miami. Texas beat 15th-seeded Austin Peay after Miami's game.