Jan. 26, 2010
Final Stats
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Miami University men's basketball team held a nine-point lead midway through the second half, but a pesky Ball State squad forced two overtimes, as the RedHawks were unable to convert at the end of regulation or the first extra-period, and snuck away with a 65-59 double-overtime win Tuesday evening at Worthen Arena.
The contest was Miami's (6-13, 3-3 Mid-American Conference) first double-OT game since a loss at Valparaiso on Feb. 23, 2008 and first in league play since a loss at Western Michigan Feb. 12 of the same year. The RedHawks and Cardinals (9-9, 3-3 MAC) have now played 11 extra-period contests against each other, three of which have gone more than one overtime, with Miami holding a 7-4 edge in those overtime games.
Ball State's Jarrod Jones, who scored a game-high 21 points, put in a layup with 18 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game at 48, but a three-point shot at the buzzer missed for Miami, sending the game into the first extra-session. Senior guard Kenny Hayes nailed a jumper and junior forward Nick Winbush knocked down a pair of free throws to put the RedHawks up three midway through the first overtime, but BSU's Terrence Watson converted a three-point play with 1:26 left in the extra period. Again Miami had the last shot with the score still tied, but another triple was off the mark and to the second overtime it went knotted at 54.
Another low-scoring extra period saw the game even at 56 with 2:06 to play when Jauwan Scaife hit two freebies to put the Cardinals up two. After sophomore forward Julian Mavunga tied the contest at 56 with his own free throws, Scaife converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 40 ticks on the clock and Ball State hit four charity tosses down the stretch to snag the 65-59 victory.
Mavunga led Miami with 14 points while Winbush chipped in 10 for his second-straight double-figure scoring game, and junior guard/forward Antonio Ballard corralled 11 boards. Miami struggled from the field, hitting just 32.2 percent for the game, including 5-of-24 from behind the arc, while Ball State shot 38.8 percent for the game. Jones also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with his 21 points in a double-double effort for the Cardinals.
The opening 11 minutes of the contest were a back-and-forth affair that featured eight lead changes and three ties, as neither team led by more than two until Miami used a 5-0 burst, fueled by a pair of jumpers from junior guard Rodney Haddix II, to grab a four-point lead at 18-14 with 7:20 left in the half. Ball State answered, however, with an 8-0 run to take its own four-point cushion at 22-18 with just under four minutes to play in the half. The 'Hawks then ended the half on a 9-2 spurt to earn a 27-24 advantage at the break, giving Miami its first lead at halftime since Nov. 28 vs. Evansville.
With the game tied at 32, Miami used an 8-0 run to grab a 40-32 cushion with 11:35 remaining in regulation, building the lead to nine with 9:09 left until the Cardinals chipped away to draw even.
The RedHawks continue their three-game, five-day stretch Thursday night in Millett Hall when they welcome Central Michigan at 7 p.m.
--MURedHawks.com--
