RedHawks Host Ohio at Noon on Saturday
1/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 15, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
REDHAWKS CONTINUE HOME STRETCH AGAINST OHIO: Miami continues a brief home stretch when the RedHawks host long-time rival Ohio University at noon on Saturday, Jan. 16 in the "Battle of the Bricks." The game will be televised on ESPNU. Miami snapped a four-game losing streak on Tuesday with a 55-53 overtime win over Kent State to move to 1-1 in Mid-American Conference action. The Bobcats are coming off a pair of losses to Kent State and Akron but have lost both games by just a combined seven points. Halftime entertainment for Saturday's game is America's Best Frisbee Dogs.
ABOUT THE BOBCATS: Ohio enters Saturday's game with a 9-7 overall mark and an 0-2 league record. The Bobcats have been in some tight games as of late with their last four being decided by a 2.5 ppg margin. Ohio opened 2010 with an 81-79 loss at Robert Morris before topping IUPUI, 63-62. The Bobcats opened Mid-American Conference play with a 62-60 loss to Kent State and a 67-62 loss to Akron on Wednesday. Armon Bassett and D.J. Cooper pace the Bobcats in scoring, averaging 13.3 and 12.8 ppg, respectively. Kenneth van Kempen leads the team on the boards with 7.3 rpg.
THE SERIES WITH OHIO: Saturday marks the 184th meeting all-time between Miami and Ohio--the most of any RedHawk opponent--with the Bobcats holding a 95-88 advantage in the series. When playing in Oxford, Miami is 58-30 against the Bobcats. Ohio won both meetings last season, posting a 66-62 win in Oxford and then defeating Miami 75-56 in Athens on February 26. Prior to that, the RedHawks had won two straight against the Bobcats, a 73-49 victory on March 1, 2008, in Oxford, followed by a 74-61 triumph on March 13 in a MAC Tournament quarterfinal game.
UP NEXT: Miami hits the road Wednesday, Jan. 20 for a 7 p.m. game at Akron. The RedHawks then return home on Saturday, Jan. 23 to host the Bowling Green Falcons in a 3 p.m. matchup, which begins a four-game, eight-day stretch for the RedHawks.
ROAD WARRIORS: Miami played its first five games away from Millett Hall over a 10-day stretch and logged 4,095 round-trip miles during its travels. During non-conference play, Miami logged approximately 7,412 round-trip miles of travel, which includes trips to Towson, Md., Lexington, Ky., Albuquerque, N.M., Milwaukee, Wis., Boulder, Colo., and local trips to face Cincinnati and Xavier.
MIAMI ISP SPORTS NETWORK: In its third year of its partnership with ISP Sports Marketing, the Miami ISP Sports Network continues its coverage of Miami men's basketball with a group of affiliates blanketing most of Southwest Ohio and Southeast Indiana. "The Voice of the RedHawks" Steve Baker delivers the play-by-play coverage, while Joe Barry provides color commentary. Tune in to one of Miami's game-day affiliates: WMOH-AM 1450 (Hamilton, OH), WPFB-FM 105.9 (Middletown, OH), WFMG-FM 101.3 (Richmond, IN), WONE-AM 980 (Dayton, OH).
SATURDAY'S GAME TELEVISED ON ESPNU: Saturday's game against the Bobcats is one of two Miami University men's basketball home games to be televised on ESPNU. Michael Reghi will call the action and Anthony Buford will provide analysis. The RedHawks' Jan. 30 noon game against Eastern Michigan also will be televised on ESPNU.
COLES TIES MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE WIN MARK: Behind a thrilling 55-53, come-from-behind, overtime win against Kent State on Tuesday, Miami University Head Coach Charlie Coles tied the Mid-American Conference record for career league wins held by former Toledo Head Coach Bob Nichols. The triumph over the Golden Flashes was Coles' 194th career MAC win with 142 of those coming during his time patrolling the Miami sidelines. Over his 20 years as a coach in the MAC (14 at Miami; 6 at Central Michigan) Coles has amassed a 194-134 league record.
WORKING OVERTIME: Miami played its first overtime game of the season on Tuesday, as the RedHawks battled back against Kent State, marking the fifth time the two teams have played extra-minute contests. With the 55-53 win, the RedHawks moved to 4-1 against KSU in overtime games. It was the 105th time Miami has been in overtime, improving its record to 65-41 in overtime games. Last season the RedHawks played three overtime games, all coming in regular-season conference play, and won two of their three overtime contests.
KEEPING THE FAITH: Prior to Tuesday's contest, Miami Head Coach Charlie Coles talked to the team about having faith. After a disappointing first half in which Miami trailed Kent State by 13 points, junior guard Rodney Haddix II hammered home that belief with his teammates at halftime and challenged the group to play with some heart. "Rod sparked us, and we came out with momentum and fought back," said senior guard Kenny Hayes. The RedHawks chiseled away at the Golden Flash lead in the second half, knotting the game with 1:09 to play in regulation off a Hayes 3-pointer that eventually forced overtime. KSU built a four-point lead early in the extra period, but Miami persevered, rattling off seven unanswered points to seize a lead it would not relinquish. The RedHawks took their first lead of the game with 1:32 to play in overtime off a pair of Hayes free throws.
TALE OF TWO HALVES: Despite a slow start against Kent State on Tuesday, Miami regrouped for an inspired come-from-behind win. In the first half, Miami mustered just 11 points off five field goals and one free throw while committing a whopping nine turnovers with no assists. Miami did, however, have an impressive five blocked shots in the opening half. In the second half, Miami recorded 36 points, shot a much-improved 43.8 percent from the field and dished out a stellar eight assists while committing just two turnovers.
BLOCK PARTY: With eight blocked shots against Kent State on Tuesday, which ties for sixth-most in a single game in program history, Miami posted its most blocked shots of the season. Six different RedHawks contributed to the mark, including two apiece from sophomore forward/center Julian Mavunga and junior guard/forward Antonio Ballard. The most-critical blocked shot, however, came from junior guard Rodney Haddix II, who rejected a KSU game-winning lay-up attempt with one second remaining to force overtime.
LATE FLURRY: Sophomore forward/center Julian Mavunga was a big part of Miami's late surge to force overtime against Kent State. Mavunga scored 13 of Miami's 21 points over the final 9:57 of regulation to help evaporate a double-digit deficit. Mavunga was 5-of-6 from the field during that stretch. Junior guard Rodney Haddix II knocked down a big 3-pointer, his lone field goal of the game, and senior guard Kenny Hayes added a jumper and the game-tying trey during the RedHawk surge. Additionally, junior guard/forward Antonio Ballard saved his best for last, hitting his lone field goal of the game--a 3-pointer--in overtime. It was the RedHawks' only field goal in OT.
BALLARD DOUBLING UP: Junior guard/forward Antonio Ballard amassed eight of his career-high-tying 11 rebounds over the final 25 minutes vs. Kent State. Ballard finished with three rebounds off the offensive glass and eight defensive boards. Four Miami players have combined to produce eight double-figure rebounding efforts this season: Sophomore forward/center Julian Mavunga (5), senior center Adam Fletcher (1), junior forward Nick Winbush (1) and Ballard (1).
DOUBLE-TIME: Six times this season Miami players have recorded double-doubles. Sophomore forward/center Julian Mavunga has recorded four double-doubles, while junior forward Nick Winbush and senior center Adam Fletcher each recorded their first career double-doubles. Fletcher amassed 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds against Wright State (Dec. 13), while Winbush recorded 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds against Temple (Dec. 8). Mavunga's first two career double-doubles came in the World Vision Classic/Basketball Travelers Tournament when he amassed 16 points and a career-high 12 rebounds against Louisiana Tech (Nov. 20) and followed that with a 12-point, 10-rebound performance against Nicholls State (Nov. 21). Mavunga poured in a career-high 18 points and chipped in 10 boards against Evansville (Nov. 28) and tied career highs of 18 points and 12 rebounds at Xavier (Dec. 23).
FOR STARTERS: Freshman guard Allen Roberts got his first career start at Buffalo on Jan. 9. He became the fifth RedHawk this season to earn his first career start, joining freshman guard Orlando Williams, sophomore guard Kramer Soderberg, junior guard Rodney Haddix II and sophomore forward/center Julian Mavunga.
ROARING 20s: Seven times this season Miami players have amassed 20 or more points in a game. Senior center Adam Fletcher tallied a career-high 21 points at Buffalo (Jan. 9), boasting the most-recent 20-point scoring effort. Senior guard Kenny Hayes has amassed 20 or more points in three games this season. Hayes had 24 points at Xavier (Dec. 23), 21 points at Colorado (Jan. 5) and 23 points against Nicholls State (Nov. 21). Junior guard Rodney Haddix II also had a career-high 21 points against Nicholls State. Additionally, junior forward Nick Winbush twice scored 20-or-more points. Winbush recorded a career-high 26 points at Kentucky (Nov. 16) and 25 points at New Mexico (Nov. 22).
MINUTE MAN: Senior guard Kenny Hayes is averaging 35.93 minutes per game and leads the Mid-American Conference in minutes played. Buffalo's Rodney Pierce ranks second at 34.50 minutes per game. Sophomore forward/center Julain Mavunga ranks 28th, averaging 27.20 minutes per game, while senior center Adam Fletcher is the other RedHawk on the list, averaging 27.00 minutes per game to tie for 30th.
ON THE PLUS SIDE: For the first time this season, Miami had a positive assist/turnover ratio, tallying 14 assists and 12 turnovers at Xavier on Dec. 23. Senior guard Kenny Hayes accounted for six of the RedHawks' assists against the Musketeers, while sophomore forward/center Julian Mavunga dished out three. Miami was even in assists and turnovers against Cincinnati with 14 apiece.
MAC NUGGETS: Four Miami players rank among Mid-American Conference statistical leaders. Senior guard Kenny Hayes ranks 6th in scoring (14.1), 8th in assists (3.33), 9th in assist/turnover ratio (1.16) and 11th in free-throw percentage (.778). Junior forward Nick Winbush ties for 22nd in scoring (10.1), is 9th in 3-point field-goal percentage (.417), 11th in made 3-pointers (2.00), 12th in field-goal percentage (.453) and 12th in blocked shots (0.73). Sophomore forward/center Julian Mavunga is 9th in rebounding (6.6), 5th in defensive rebounds (4.80), 6th in field-goal percentage (.517) and 10th in blocked shots (0.87). Junior guard Rodney Haddix II is 15th in 3-point field-goal percentage (.357).
WINBUSH FOR THREE: Junior forward Nick Winbush drilled eight 3-pointers at Kentucky, which ties for third on Miami's single-game charts and set a then-Rupp Arena record for 3-pointers by an opponent. Winbush was an impressive 6-for-6 from beyond the arc in the first half and was 8-for-10 from 3-point range for the game. His eight treys tie for the 12th most nationally made by a player in a game this season. He led all scorers with a career-high 26 points. Through 15 games this season, Winbush is 30-of-72 from beyond the arc, nailing 41.7 percent of his 3-point attempts.
REDHAWKS SET 3-POINT RECORD: Draining 15 3-pointers at Kentucky on Nov. 16, Miami set a program record for 3-point field goals. It ties for the 17th most made in a game nationally this season. The RedHawks went 15-of-26 from beyond the arc, receiving long-range field goals from junior forward Nick Winbush, junior guard Rodney Haddix II and guard/forward Antonio Ballard, senior guard Kenny Hayes and freshman guard Orlando Williams.
A MIAMI WIN WOULD ... • Give Miami back-to-back wins for the first time this season. • Snap a two-game losing streak in the series with Ohio. • Make Charlie Coles the career leader for MAC wins with 195.A MIAMI LOSS WOULD ... • Make both Miami and Ohio 1-2 in MAC play. • Give the RedHawks a 3-3 home record and the Bobcats a 3-3 road mark. • Be Miami's fifth loss in six games.