Jan. 28, 2010
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes
OXFORD, Ohio - Senior guard Kenny Hayes scored 20 points and junior forward Nick Winbush chipped in 13 points, as the Miami University men's basketball team won its fifth-straight home game Thursday night at Millett Hall, downing Central Michigan (9-9, 4-2 Mid-American Conference), 64-51. The 51 points allowed by the RedHawks (7-13, 4-3 MAC) were the fewest Miami has allowed all season.
The 'Hawks used another strong second-half effort to blow open a close game, as Miami shot 54.5 percent in the closing 20 minutes to outscore CMU 41-31. The Red and White also outrebounded the Chippewas 18-9 in the period to finish with a 33-27 margin on the glass for the contest. Hayes scored 15 of his 20 points in the final stanza, hitting 6-of-10 from the floor in the game, including 2-of-2 from deep and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe, while junior guard Rodney Haddix II tallied all seven of his points over the final 20 minutes.
Miami finished the game shooting 46.5 percent while holding Central Michigan to just 37.3 percent, including 7-of-21 from behind the arc. Winbush grabbed six rebounds to go with his 13 points while junior guard/forward Antonio Ballard snared a game-high eight boards. The RedHawks also went 20-of-25 from the free throw line. Jordan Bitzer led the Chippewas with 10 points, while CMU went just 6-of-12 at the stripe.
A pair of trifectas from the Chippewas in the opening three minutes gave them an early 7-2 cushion, but Miami grabbed its first lead at 8-7 with 13:51 remaining when senior center Adam Fletcher knocked down a pair of free throws, giving him six of Miami's first eight points. CMU went ahead 12-8 until a 10-0 RedHawk run, spurred by seven points from Winbush, gave Miami an 18-12 edge with just over five minutes left in the half. The 'Hawks held a five-point advantage with under a minute to go in the period but Bitzer hit a jumper to make the score 23-20 Miami at the intermission.
Central Michigan grabbed the lead out of the break scoring the first four points, but a Hayes triple put the RedHawks back on top. The Chippewas then evened the contest at 31 and took a one-point lead on a Bitzter trey at 34-33 with 13:35 left on the clock. Miami used a key 12-2 spurt over the next five minutes however, with four different 'Hawks scoring, to capture a nine-point edge at 45-36, which it would not relinquish. CMU closed within five a minute and a half later, but would get no closer, as the RedHawks extended the lead to as much as 13 with 2:20 to play on a layup by Hayes and won the game by the same margin, 64-51.
Miami wraps up their three-game, five-day stretch by hosting Eastern Michigan Saturday at noon at Millett Hall. The game will be televised on ESPNU and prior to tip-off head coach Charlie Coles will be honored at approximately 11:40 a.m. for becoming the all-time MAC wins leader.
--MURedHawks.com--
