Feb. 4, 2012
Box Score | Photo Gallery 
Miami 59, Ball State 53 
MUNCIE, Ind.-- A 16-point halftime lead set the tone for the rest of the afternoon for Miami University's men's basketball team (7-14, 3-6 Mid-American Conference), who took home a 59-53 victory over Ball State (12-9, 4-5 MAC) on Saturday. Freshman guard Brian Sullivan led all scorers with 18 points. The win marks the first time this season that the RedHawks have won back-to-back games.
Senior forward Julian Mavunga scored 10 points while leading the team in rebounds with 10, giving him his 13th double-double on the season and 27 for his career. It was his fourth straight game with a double-double, matching his season-high streak. Mavunga also tallied a game-high-tying five assists in the winning effort.
Sophomore guard Quinten Rollins added 14 points and senior forward Adam Thomas, coming off of a big performance against Eastern Michigan, played a career-high 25 minutes and scored eight points, also a career-high.
As a team, the RedHawks hauled in a season-high 29 defensive rebounds as well as tying a season-best 50 percent from beyond the arc.
Miami jumped out to a quick 9-4 lead in the opening minutes thanks to six points from Rollins and a 3-pointer from Thomas. Ball State tied it up at 11-11 at the 11:47 mark, but the RedHawks surged forward with a 9-2 scoring run that was capped off by a layup from sophomore center Drew McGhee.
The Cardinals fought back to make it 20-16 with 5:15 left in the half, but the RedHawks exploded to the tune of a 14-2 run to end the first half. Twelve of the 14 points came from behind the arc, thanks to Rollins, Thomas and Brian Sullivan. That made the score 34-18 in favor of the RedHawks heading into halftime. The 16-point halftime lead was by far the biggest Miami has had this season.
Ball State started quickly in the second half, scoring 12 points to Miami's five and making the score 39-30. The RedHawks tried to pull away yet again extending their lead back to double-digits, 46-32, but the Cardinals would not back down. A 7-0 scoring surge brought Ball State back within seven, 46-39, with 6:42 remaining.
With just over two minutes left, Rollins drilled a wide open 3-pointer to make the score 54-42 and seemingly put the finishing touches on a Miami victory. Ball State, however, scored nine straight points to come within three, 54-51, with 24 seconds left. Miami, however, nailed its free throws to come away with a 59-53 victory.
The RedHawks will stay on the road for their next game, heading to Northern Illinois to take on the Huskies on Wednesday at 8 p.m. (ET).
