Miami (Fla.) 75, North Carolina Central 71: Manu Lecomte scored 18 points as the host Hurricanes survived a late rally by the Eagles to advance to the second round of the NIT.

Sheldon McClellan added 15 points for second-seeded Miami (22-12), which shot 50 percent from the field, including 8-of-16 3-pointers. Tonye Jekiri notched 11 points, six rebounds and two assists and Deandre Burnett totaled 10 points off the bench for the Hurricanes, who rebounded from the disappointment of a loss to Notre Dame in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament.

Jordan Parks racked up 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting to lead the offense for North Carolina Central (25-8), which shot 53.1 percent. Nimrod Hilliard added 19 points and five assists for the Eagles, who received just four points off the bench - all from Jeremiah Ingram.

McClellan and Hilliard traded 3-pointers to open the contest before Miami rolled off eight straight points to establish an 11-3 advantage in the opening five minutes. Another Hilliard 3-pointer drew North Carolina Central within 19-15 just before the midway point of the opening period before a 10-4 run by the Hurricanes strengthened their lead en route to a 34-25 halftime edge.

After the break, the Eagles scored the first six points to pull to within 34-31 but Miami regained the momentum and seemingly took command at 63-50 with 5:30 to play. A pair of Hilliard free throws with three seconds remaining capped a 21-10 jolt that brought North Carolina Central to within 73-71, but Davon Reed sank a pair of his own from the line in the waning seconds and the Eagles' comeback effort fell short.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Hurricanes improved to 8-11 all-time in the NIT, winning its sixth first-round game. ... North Carolina Central is 0-4 versus Miami. ... The Hurricanes host No. 6 Alabama on Saturday in the second round.