Nov. 15, 2011

Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery

Miami 72, Dayton 67 (OT) Postgame Audio

OXFORD, Ohio--Miami opened its season in thrilling fashion Tuesday night, defeating Dayton, 72-67, in overtime at Millett Hall. Senior forward Julian Mavunga led the way with 17 points and 11 rebounds, scoring seven of his points in overtime. Freshman guard Brian Sullivan debuted in a huge way for the RedHawks, scoring 14 points, including four 3-pointers.

The Flyers started off the game on a 5-0 run before Miami scored its first basket of the season on a sophomore forward Jon Harris 3-pointer nearly four minutes into the action. The RedHawks tied it up at the 14:00 mark of the first half, thanks in large part to eight Dayton turnovers, doubling its season total.

Once the Flyers found their handle on the ball, they were able to build an eight-point lead with a 12-5 run midway through the half, highlighted by two 3-pointers from senior Paul Williams. A couple of sophomore guard Josh Sewell free throws and Brian Sullivan's second trey of the night brought Miami back within three points, 23-20, with 3:45 left in the half. The scoring run continued until it reached eight points, tying the game at 23-23.

The first half ended with Dayton leading the RedHawks, 30-28. Miami struggled from the floor in the first half, shooting only 33 percent on 27 shots, but its 12 forced turnovers kept the Flyers in check. The RedHawks lived from beyond the arc in the first half, taking 16 3-pointers.

Brian Sullivan's11 points, including three momentum-shifting 3-pointers, led the RedHawks into halftime. Mavunga contributed just two points, but pulled down seven rebounds and attracted enough extra attention on defense to help create scoring opportunities for his teammates.

Both teams traded baskets in the opening minutes of the second half, and a Mavunga 3-pointer tied the game at 39-39 with 16:11 to play. Sophomore forward Bill Edwards added six points to help keep the RedHawks in the game despite several quick strikes from Dayton.

The Flyers were on fire the first seven minutes of the second half, making all eight of their shots, including two from behind the arc. Williams led the surge with seven points.

Their first missed shot proved costly however, as it allowed Miami to claw its way back with a five-point swing, capped off with yet another Brian Sullivan3-pointer to tie the game at 48-48. A little over a minute later, the RedHawks took their first lead of the game on a Sewell layup, making it 50-48 with 11:26 remaining.

Both offenses slowed down after the first 10 minutes of play, and Miami found itself trailing only by one, 57-56, with five minutes remaining. Mavunga made one of his two free throws with 4:19 left in the game to tie both teams at 57-57.

With the shot clock winding down, Dayton's Josh Benson laid one in to give the Flyers a 59-57 lead with 1:17 left to play. After a Miami timeout, Mavunga nailed two free throws to tie the game at 59-59. On those two freebies, Mavunga also recorded his 15th career double-double.

Dayton failed to capitalize on its next possession, and Edwards grabbed the rebound on the missed jumper, giving Miami the ball with 21 seconds left and eliciting a deafening cheer from the Millett crowd. A RedHawk turnover left Dayton with the final possession of regulation, but a missed shot from half court sent the game into overtime.

Miami jumped out to an early overtime lead with a freshman guard Quinten Rollinsfree throw and a layup by Mavunga, giving the RedHawks a 62-59 advantage with just over four minutes to play. Dayton answered back with a shot of its own to pull within one, but Mavunga drilled a shot from behind the arc to give the RedHawks a four-point lead.

Miami took a two-point lead into the final minute of overtime and never looked back, and the game ended in a RedHawk victory, 72-67.

In addition to Mavunga and Sullivan's aforementioned scoring totals, Edwards tallied 14 points and Sewell added 10, giving Miami four players in double digits. Edwards also hauled in 10 rebounds for a double-double in his first game as a RedHawk.

Once both teams settled into a groove, they began to play a back and forth game for the rest of the night. After the 4:45 mark in the first half, no team held a lead greater than five points, and the teams were tied 10 different times.

Miami faces another local rival this Friday, travelling to Cincinnati to take on Xavier at 7 p.m.