Jan. 16, 2010

Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery

OXFORD, Ohio - Miami University men's basketball head coach Charlie Coles broke the Mid-American Conference record for career league wins with his 195th, as four RedHawks scored in double figures for the first time all season to earn a 79-67 victory over the Ohio Bobcats Saturday afternoon at Millett Hall in the 184th "Battle of the Bricks". The RedHawks (5-11, 2-1 MAC) won their second straight game for the first time this season, while handing the Bobcats (9-8, 0-3 MAC) their third straight loss.

For the second straight game, Miami used a strong second half to earn the win, this time overcoming an eight-point halftime deficit, as the 'Hawks outscored the Bobcats 50-30 in the second half, with the 50 points marking a single-half season high. Miami trailed 37-29 at the break, but started the second half on a 17-0 run and extended it to a 29-5 burst through the first 10:50 of the half. The Red and White also outrebounded Ohio 26-11 over the final 20 minutes, en route to a season-high 43 boards, while shooting 60.0 percent in the period and holding the Bobcats to just 26.7 percent.

Sophomore forward/center Julian Mavunga tied a career high with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting while junior guard Antonio Ballard recorded his first double-double of the year with 11 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Senior guard Kenny Hayes added 16 points and senior center Adam Fletcher chipped in 13. Freshman guard D.J. Cooper led Ohio with a game-high 22 points while junior guard Armon Bassett had 19.

Miami jumped out to a 4-0 lead and led 9-8, with four points coming from Hayes, until Cooper scored eight straight points to put the Bobcats on top 14-9 with 11:39 left in the half. The teams traded baskets until freshman guard Orlando Williams and junior guard Rodney Haddix II added buckets to even the contest at 18 with less than eight minutes remaining.

Ohio used a 10-2 spurt, including triples from Cooper and Bassett, to grab a 30-22 cushion with 3:21 to go in the period. Miami closed within three on a layup from Fletcher at the 1:21 mark, but Bassett scored the next five points to again make the deficit eight and Ohio took a 37-29 lead into the break.

Hayes led Miami with eight points at the break while Ballard corralled six rebounds to help Miami hold a 17-11 advantage on the boards. The 'Hawks shot 45.0 percent from the field in the half, but just 2-of-7 from deep. Miami did hit 9-of-12 free throws, however. Ohio was paced by 13 points from Cooper and 10 from Bassett. The Bobcats shot a solid 53.3 percent, including 5-of-14 from deep.

The RedHawks came out scorching in the second half, scoring the first 17 points, including 12 from Mavunga, who had just two in the opening period, to grab a 46-37 lead. Bassett finally got Ohio on the board in the second half with a three-pointer 7:34 into the stanza, after Miami forced the 'Cats to miss their first 11 shots of the period.

The lead extended to 16 at 58-42 with just under 10 minutes to play, as freshman guard Allen Roberts poured in five straight points after Bassett's triple and an alley-oop lay-in from Ballard capped a Miami 12-2 burst. Miami kept the lead in double figures until Ohio used a 10-0 run, including back-to-back trifectas from Cooper, from the 2:49 mark to the 1:20 mark to close within four at 69-65, but the RedHawks made all 10 free throws down the stretch to secure the victory and finished the game 26-for-37 at the stripe while the Bobcats went just 9-of-13 at the line.

The RedHawks now hit the road for their next contest when they travel to Akron Wednesday, Jan. 20 for a MAC East clash. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at James A. Rhoades Arena.

--MURedHawks.com--