Feb. 29, 2012
Box Score
Bowling Green 56, Miami 51 
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio--It was a tie game with less than three minutes remaining, but the Miami University men's basketball team (9-19, 5-10 Mid-American Conference) was unable to come away with a victory Wednesday night against Bowling Green (16-13, 9-6 MAC), falling by a score of 56-51.
Senior forward Julian Mavunga recorded his 28th career double-double, scoring a game-high 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Sophomore center Drew McGhee scored 13 points off the bench, his highest scoring output since a career-high 16 points at Kent State earlier this season. Sophomore forward Jon Harris and guard Quinten Rollins round out the other RedHawks in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The Falcons jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the first minute of the game. Miami quickly recovered, however, with a 3-pointer from Harris and a dunk from Mavunga to put itself ahead, 5-4, at the 17:51 mark of the half. Both squads traded baskets, Bowling Green's coming from behind the arc, to tie the game up at 7-7.
Seven unanswered points from the Falcons gave them a 14-7 lead until Harris knocked down another three to swing the momentum in favor of the RedHawks. The basket was the start of a 7-1 Miami run that tied the game at 15-15 with 11:00 left in the half. The streaky scoring continued as Bowling Green rattled off six straight points to recapture the lead.
Another trey from Harris cut the Falcons' lead in half, but another six unanswered points put them up by nine, 27-18, with just under five minutes remaining. Then it was the RedHawks' turn to score, and score they did, to the tune of eight straight points. The scoring run was capped off by a steal by Rollins that led to a layup. Bowling Green added a 3-pointer and McGhee threw down a dunk to end the scoring for the first half. The Falcons entered the locker room with a 30-27 lead over Miami.
The Falcons really came out firing to start the second half, scoring nine straight points on the RedHawks to extend its lead to 39-27. Miami's first points of the half did not come until nearly five minutes in, when Mavunga laid one in to break Bowling Green's scoring streak.
As was the case in this game, Miami was due for a scoring outburst and came through with 14 unanswered points to reclaim the lead, 43-41, with 7:35 left. Down 41-40, it was a three from Rollins that put the RedHawks ahead.
A trey from Bowling Green's Jordon Crawford erased the Miami lead, but McGhee's three-point play on the next RedHawk possession swung the score back in Miami's favor, 46-44. The Falcons jumped ahead, however, on a couple of baskets to take a 49-47 lead with 4:32 remaining.
With the shot clock winding down on Miami's next possession, freshman guard Brian Sullivan put up a three that missed the mark, but Mavunga grabbed the offensive rebounds and lobbed a pass to Rollins who laid it in for two to tie the game at 49-49.
With under three minutes left in the game, however, the pendulum of momentum swung in the direction of Bowling Green. The Falcons' next three shots all found the bottom of the net and they found themselves in front by six, 55-49, with 1:15 left in the game.
The Falcons added a free throw and Mavunga added a basket, but neither made a difference in the outcome as Bowling Green defeated Miami, 56-51.
The RedHawks conclude the regular season on Friday, hosting Ohio at 7 p.m. before playing a first-round game in the MAC Tournament on Monday, March 5.
