University of Miami guard Tru Washington made three consecutive free throws in the final seconds to seal a 77-76 road win over North Carolina State on Feb. 14, 2026 at the Lenovo Center.
Rich Barnes
Field Level Media/Imagn Images
Tru Washington made a storybook return to the University of Miami basketball team on Saturday afternoon.
After missing three games for a personal matter, Washington made three free throws with 3.7 seconds left to seal a dramatic 77-76 Hurricanes’ road victory over North Carolina State in an ACC matchup at the Lenovo Center.
Miami, which finished game on an 8-0 run, outscored NC State 56-32 in the paint. The Hurricanes also had a 20-8 edge on offensive rebounds.
The Hurricanes, coming off an upset win over No. 11 North Carolina earlier in the week, improved to 20-5 and 9-3 in the ACC. They leapfrogged the Wolfpack into fourth place in the conference with six games remaining in the regular season.
Washington finished with 13 points and six rebounds off the bench.
UM coach Jai Lucas said he trusted Washington in the clutch even though he had not played in the previous three games.
“You bet on people’s pedigree,” Lucas said. “Tru’s won two Mountain West championships. He’s been in big moments. He’s one of those guys who when everything is going crazy, he fits into the crazy. So, in that moment, there was no doubt…well, maybe a little bit, but I know he was going to make at least two of them.
“And once the first one went in the way it did, I knew he was making all three because he has that belief and confidence. For him to have been away dealing with some stuff and come back and those big three free throws was huge.”
Miami got a game-high 26 points and six rebounds from Malik Reneau. The Hurricanes also got 17 points and nine rebounds from Shelton Henderson and 14 points, five rebounds and four assists from Tre Donaldson.
NC State (18-8, 9-4) had a chance to win at the buzzer but freshman Matt Able missed a running 3-pointer. Able finished with a career-high 17 points off the bench.
“Life in the ACC, it’s a roller coaster,” Lucas said. “Exciting game. Coach [Will] Wade has done a great job in a short time with his team. Their spirit and competitiveness is really hard to match. It comes down to little details…we had a little lull in the second half and they made a run, but I’m excited for our guys because they battled and competed the whole night, kept chipping away.”
The win was extra special for Lucas, whose family is from nearby Durham. He said he had 15 or 20 family members and friends in the stands.
“My parents were here, aunts, cousins, uncles, everyone,” he said.
The Wolfpack got 17 points and nine rebounds from Ven-Allen Lubin, and 14 points — all in the second half — from Paul McNeil Jr.
In the first half, Miami led by as many as five, 22-17, with just under 10 minutes left following a Reneau layup and a Washington 3-pointer. NC State took the lead with five minutes remaining and held a 42-37 advantage into the break.
The first half featured eight ties and 10 lead changes.
With 5:43 left in the second half, Donaldson made two technical free throws to give Miami a 69-65 lead. The technical was charged to the Wolfpack’s Darrion Williams for kicking Donaldson in a loose-ball scrum.
Following the UM free throws, North Carolina State went on an 11-0 run.
Miami then went on an 8-0 run that ended after Washington got fouled on a 3-point try with 3.7 seconds left. Williams was charged with the foul as he tried to close out Washington on a corner 3-pointer that turned out to be the biggest play of the game.
The Hurricanes return to the Watsco Center on Tuesday as Miami hosts Virginia Tech at 8 p.m.
Field Level Media contributed to this report.
This story was originally published February 14, 2026 at 9:37 PM.
Related Stories from Miami Herald
Miami Herald
Miami Herald sportswriter Michelle Kaufman has covered 14 Olympics, six World Cups, Wimbledon, U.S. Open, NCAA Basketball Tournaments, NBA Playoffs, Super Bowls and has been the soccer writer and University of Miami basketball beat writer for 25 years. She was born in Frederick, Md., and grew up in Miami.