By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Thursday, April 2, 2015

Chasson Randle sank a pair of free throws with 3.4 seconds left in overtime, giving Stanford a 66-64 victory over Miami (Florida) in the National Invitation Tournament’ championship game at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Randle, who scored a game-high 25 points, finished his Stanford career with 2,375 points. He was also selected as the NIT’s most outstanding player.

Anthony Brown pulled down 12 boards for the Cardinal.

Sheldon McClellan led the Hurricanes with 17 points, hitting 5 of 16 from the floor and 6 of 7 from the foul line. Devon Reed added16 points to go with five rebounds and four assists.

The Hurricanes had one last possession after Randle’s free throws. McClellan attempted a 3-pointer that missed the mark as time expired.

Miami (25-13) rallied from a 13-point deficit to force the extra session and had a 64-61 lead with under one minute remaining in overtime. Randle sank four straight free throws to seal the win.

Stanford (24-13) put the experimental 30-second shot clock to good use after Randle’s free throws pulled the Cardinal to within 64-63 with just under 39 seconds remaining.

If the regular 35-second clock had been in use, Stanford likely would have had to foul to ensure another possession. Instead, the Cardinal dug in and played defense, forcing Miami’s Deandrfe Burnett to miss a 3-point attempt. On the ensuing possession, Randle leaned into Reed to draw a foul.

After Randle’s two free throws with 3.4 seconds left, the Hurricanes turned the ball over on the ensuing inbound. Anthony Brown sank a free throw to make it 66-64 with 3.1 seconds left. Miami appeared to throw away the inbound pass again, but a replay review showed Stanford touched the ball.

Miami had one last chance with 1.8 seconds to play, but McClellan’s missed 3-point attempt ended the game.

It was the Cardinal’s second NIT championship in four years. Stanford won the 2012 NIT title.