Feb. 10, 2007
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio-- Junior forward Tim Pollitz scored 16 of his 24 points in the first half leading the RedHawks to a 66-44 Mid-American Conference victory over Ball State. Miami's (12-11; 8-3 MAC) 22-point win over Ball State (8-16; 4-7 MAC) is its largest margin of victory in MAC play this season.
Miami hit eight of its first nine shots, jumping out to a 16-4 lead with 12:43 to play in the first half. During the run, senior forward Nathan Peavy and Pollitz combined for 12 of the team's 16 points. Back-to-back 3-pointers by senior guard Doug Penno extended Miami's lead to 32-14 with 4:12 remaining in the half. A fastbreak layup by Pollitz with three seconds to play in the first half gave the RedHawks a 36-18 lead entering halftime. Miami shot 70.8 percent from the field in the first half, while the Cardinals shot 25.0 percent from the field. The RedHawks went inside and outscored Ball State 26-4 in the paint over the first 20 minutes. Pollitz led all scorers with 16 points in the first half.
Four consecutive points by sophomore guard/forward Michael Bramos extended Miami's lead to 20 points, 40-20, with 17:31 to play in the second half. Back-to-back Pollitz layups gave the RedHawks their largest lead of the game, 56-35, with 3:50 to play. The RedHawks used two fastbreak layups in the final minute to post a 66-44 victory.
Pollitz and Peavy led the RedHawks with 24 points and 14 points, respectively. Pollitz's 24-point performance is his fifth 20-plus-point performance in the last six games. Bramos set career-highs in assists and blocks with seven assists and four blocked shots.
Anthony Newell led Ball State with 12 points.
The RedHawks hit the road next week as they travel to Kent State for a 7 p.m. tip-off on Wednesday Feb. 14. Miami follows that with a trip to Indiana State on Saturday Feb. 17 as a part of O'Reilly ESPNU Bracket Buster Saturday.
