Miami University
Valparaiso
Doubleovertime Not Enough as Miami Falls to Valparaiso
2/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 23, 2008
VALPARAISO, Ind.--Junior guard Kenny Hayes scored a career-high 30 points, while junior forward Michael Bramos amassed 23 points and senior forward Tim Pollitz added 22 points, marking the first time since Dec. 2, 1997 three Miami players have recorded 20 or more points in a game, but it was not enough as Miami University's men's basketball team (13-13) suffered a hard-fought 99-94 double-overtime loss at Valparaiso University (16-12) on Saturday evening in the O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBuster.
Tim Pollitz put in a layup with 19 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into its first overtime, and Hayes launched a long 3-pointer with eight seconds left to send the game in to a second overtime. But the Crusaders outlasted the RedHawks in double overtime--outscoring Miami 12-7 in the second overtime--with Jarryd Loyd accounting for seven of Valparaiso's 12 points, including the go-ahead bucket with 1:24 left.
Hayes' 30 points marked the fourth 30-point scoring effort by a Miami player this season with Bramos recording the other three. Bramos scored 18 of his 23 points in the first half and recorded his seventh 20-point effort of the season. Tim Pollitz also had his seventh 20-point scoring effort of the season and the 20th of his career. He led the RedHawks with 12 rebounds and recorded his sixth double-double of the season and the 10th of his career.
It was the first time three Miami players eclipsed 20 points since Dec. 2, 1997 when Damon Frierson had 27 points, Wally Szczerbiak had 26 points and Anthony Taylor recorded 22 points against IUPUI.
Valparaiso's Shawn Huff led all players with 32 points, while Urule Igbavboa also recorded a double-double with 22 points and a game-high 13 boards.
Miami used a 10-2 run in the first minutes of the game to take a 12-6 lead off a Bramos 3-pointer at 13:48. The Crusaders came back to knot the game, 16-16, but Miami again pushed its lead to six points off a Tim Pollitz layup at 6:30, 25-19.
Another Bramos trey at 1:42, then a steal and a break-away dunk by Bramos extended the RedHawk lead to 10 points, 38-28. Brandon McPherson had a layup with 1:10 remaining in the half to cut the RedHawk lead to eight points, 38-30, which they would carry into the half.
Hayes drained a 3-pointer at 18:40 pushed the RedHawk lead to a game-high 12 points, 44-32. Miami went five scoreless minutes as the Crusaders went on a 10-0 run to creep within two points, 44-42. A junior guard Eric Pollitz layup at 13:12 ended the RedHawk scoring drought. Miami led by six points off a pair of Eric Pollitz free throws and then off an Eric Pollitz layup with 11:26 left in regulation, 50-44.
Valparaiso used a 7-0 run to take its first lead since the opening minutes off a Huff layup at 9:34 to give the Crusaders a one-point edge 51-50.Valparaiso led by as many as eight points with 2:45 to play, 71-63, and led by seven with 2:12 remaining in regulation, 73-66. Miami cut the lead to two points with 1:15 to play, 73-71, and eventually came back to tie the game with 19 seconds left, sending the contest in to overtime.
The Crusaders built a six-point advantage in the first overtime, leading 83-77 with 2:32 left. Miami pulled within one twice, with 41 seconds to play and with 25 seconds left. Igbavboa had a dunk with 16 seconds left to put the Crusaders up three, but Hayes sent the game into a second overtime with a long 3-pointer. Hayes scored 10 of the RedHawks 12 points in the first overtime.
The game went back and forth in the second overtime with the game tied 94-94 with 1:37 to play off a Hayes layup. Loyd scored all five of the final Crusader points to lift Valparaiso to the 99-94 double-overtime win.
It was Miami's second double-overtime loss in 11 days.
Miami returns home to host Ohio at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 1.
