Jan. 24, 2006
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio--William Hatcher scored 20 points to lead all scorers for Miami University's men's basketball team (9-7; 6-2 Mid-American Conference), but the RedHawks were outscored 30-20 in the second half as the Kent State Golden Flashes (13-5; 7-0 MAC) posted a 53-46 in Millett Hall on Tuesday evening.
The loss was the RedHawks' first home loss in MAC action since Feb. 28, 2004, snapping a 13-game home win streak in conference play.
Hampered by 18 turnovers in which the Golden Flashes converted into 23 points, the RedHawks fought an uphill battle especially in the second half as KSU converted nine MU turnovers into 15 second-half points.
A pair of Hatcher 3-pointers during an 8-0 Miami run helped the RedHawks gain a 15-8 lead by the 9:52 mark of the first half. The Golden Flashes put together a 6-0 spurt to cut the RedHawk lead to one point with 5:10 remaining in the half, 15-14. DeAndre Haynes tossed in a lay-up for the Golden Flashes at 2:56 to put Kent State within two points, 20-18, but a three-point play by Hatcher and a Nate VanderSluis trey at the 1:18 mark handed Miami its largest lead of the game, 26-18. Armon Gates knocked down a 3-pointer with 57 seconds left and Haynes chipped in a jumper with two seconds remaining to put the Golden Flashes within three points of the RedHawks at the half, 26-23.
Jay Youngblood hit a 3-pointer with 18:11 remaining to give Kent State a one-point edge, 29-28, but Nathan Peavy connected on a pair of free throws at the 16:12 mark to put the RedHawks up one, 30-29. From there, the Golden Flashes staged an 8-0 run, taking a 38-30 lead off an Omni Smith three-point play with 12:36 remaining. Miami chiseled away at the Kent State lead and knotted the game, 42-42, off a Hatcher jumper with 5:50 remaining. KSU extended its lead to five points by the 2:25 mark, but a pair of Peavy free throws put the RedHawks within three with 1:27 left to play. An untimely turnover with 29 seconds remaining forced Miami to foul Kent State and put the Golden Flashes on the line as Haynes and Mike Scott teamed up to knock down four free throws over the final seconds to secure the 53-46 win.
Peavy was the only other player to score in double figures for the RedHawks, tallying 10 points and eight rebounds. VanderSluis tied a career-high with four blocked shots.
Youngblood paced the Golden Flashes with 16 points, while Haynes added 15 points and Scott led all players with 10 boards.
Miami continues a grueling six-day, three-game stretch, traveling to Akron for a 7 p.m. battle with the Zips on Thursday, Jan. 26. The game will be televised on the Ohio News Network.
NOTES: Miami recorded seven blocked shots, led by VanderSluis with four and Michael Bramos with two ... VanderSluis moved into 10th on Miami's career blocked shot list with 37 career blocked shots.
