Dec. 20, 2006

Box Score

DAYTON, Ohio--Miami University's men's basketball team suffered its third loss by two or less points this season, falling 56-54 at Dayton on Wednesday evening. The loss drops the RedHawks to 4-7 on the season, while the Flyers improved to 10-1.

Miami took control early in the first half. A 3-pointer by senior forward Nathan Peavy at the 13:20 mark, and a pair of buckets by junior forward Tim Pollitz helped put Miami at a 16-7 lead by the 11:21 mark. Miami continued to surge as the RedHawks used a 7-0 surge, capped by a sophomore forward Tyler Dierkers jumper, to build a 23-9 advantage with 8:08 remaining in the half. Dayton chipped away at the RedHawk lead over the remainder of the first half, knotting the game off a Brian Roberts 3-pointer with 28 seconds to play in the half.

The RedHawks started the second half on a 7-0 run off jumpers by freshman guard Alex Moosmann and Pollitz and a 3-pointer from sophomore guard/forward Michael Bramos to build a 37-30 lead with 17:47 to play. Miami used another 7-0 run punctuated with a Bramos steal for a dunk and a 3-pointer by Bramos to post a 14-point lead with 14:07 to play, 48-34. But much like the first half, Dayton clawed its way back and took its first lead of the game off a pair of Andres Sandoval free throws with 3:46 to play, 53-52. The Flyers extended their lead to four points with 19 seconds left, 56-52, hitting 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch. Pollitz tossed in a layup with four seconds left to cut the gap to two points, 56-54.

Three RedHawks scored in double figures, led by Pollitz with 16 points and nine rebounds. Bramos added 14 points and three steals, while Peavy tallied 13 points.

Dayton was led by Charles Little with 12 points and Norman Plummer with 11 rebounds.

Miami has a week off before battling Cincinnati at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 27 at U.S. Bank Arena.