Miami University
Louisiana Tech
RedHawks Drop Basketball Travelers Tournament Opener to Louisiana Tech
11/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 20, 2009
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Sophomore forward Julian Mavunga paced Miami University's men's basketball team (0-3) on Friday evening with his first career double-double, but it was not enough as the RedHawks fell ¬to Louisiana Tech (2-0) in the first game of the Basketball Travelers Tournament, 74-62.
Making his first career start, Mavunga also hit several other career landmarks, producing career bests of 16 points and 12 rebounds while playing a career-most 37 minutes. Mavunga was 3-for-4 from beyond the arc for the RedHawks, nailing the first 3-pointers of his career.
The Bulldogs took the lead from the get-go and never looked back. Miami knotted the game at 5-5 off a sophomore guard Kramer Soderberg 3-pointer and again at 7-7 with 14:41 to play in the first half off a senior center Adam Fletcher layup. After a pair of freshman guard Orlando Williams free throws at the 11:14 mark to pull the RedHawks within one, 12-11, Louisiana Tech rattled off eight unanswered points over the next two minutes to post a 20-11 advantage.
The Bulldogs continued to surge and extended their lead to 14 points off a Jamel Guyton 3-pointer with 3:33 left in the half, 31-17. Spurred by four points from Mavunga, Miami was able to shrink the gap to seven points with 18 seconds remaining, 33-26. However, a three-point play by DeAndre Brown with six seconds remaining would extend the Bulldog lead to 10 points, giving Louisiana Tech a 36-26 advantage going in to the half.
Louisiana Tech continued to pad its advantage in the second half, reaching its largest lead--18 points--by the 5:40 mark, 62-44. The RedHawks battled back over the next two and a half minutes to close within seven points with 2:06 to play, 66-59. Junior forward Nick Winbush along with Soderberg and Mavunga each drained 3-pointers during the rally. Miami got as close as seven points again off another Mavunga trey with 1:34 remaining, 69-62, but Louisiana Tech extended its advantage to double figures, eventually capturing the 74-62 win.
For the first time this season, including exhibition games, Miami was held under 50 percent shooting in both halves, hitting 43.8 percent of its field goals in each half.
Four Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by Kyle Gibson with a game-high 27 points. Olu Ashaolu tallied a double-double with 14 points and 13 boards.
Miami continues its stint in the tournament, facing Nicholls State at 8 p.m. (ET) Saturday. The RedHawks round out the tournament facing host New Mexico at 8 p.m. (ET) on Sunday.
