Miami University
University of Central Florida
UCF Gets Past Miami in Overtime, 80-73
12/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Miami University men's basketball team battled hard to overcome a double-digit deficit and force overtime, but ultimately fell to UCF, 80-73, on Sunday in Orlando, Florida. The RedHawks drop to 5-6 on the season, while the Knights improve to 8-3.
Plagued by foul trouble, freshman guard Michael Weathers sat the majority of the first half as UCF built a 13-point advantage. He returned to score 12 of his team-high 15 points in the second half and overtime frames. Unfortunately for Miami, 7'6" Knight center Tacko Fall's size proved to be the difference as he finished with a career-high 31 points to go with 10 rebounds.
For the game Miami shot 38.5 percent (25-for-65), while UCF shot 42.6 percent (23-for-54). While the RedHawks did a strong job against his teammates, Fall was 11-for-12 from the field for the Knights and 9-for-12 from the free throw line. UCF held a 47-28 advantage in the rebounds and was 28-for-34 from the line overall.
"Our start affected us as we did not have the right amount of energy," said head coach John Cooper. "Of course anytime you play against a kid like Tacko there is an adjustment to be made. I thought our group off the bench and our freshmen did a terrific job of getting us back into the game. We continued to fight throughout the contest and next thing we know we have a shot to win it in the end."
Despite a jumper from junior forward Logan McLane and a triple from Michael Weathers, the Knights built a 15-5 lead less than seven minutes into the contest. UCF had its largest advantage at 20-7 before a layup from freshman guard Milos Jovic and a three-pointer from junior forward Rod Mills Jr. pulled the `Hawks to within eight with 10:25 left in the half.
Trailing 28-18, a three-pointer from junior guard Dion Wade and a jumper by freshman Marcus Weathers got Miami's offense moving. Jumpers by junior guard Abdoulaye Harouna and Mills were part of an 8-0 run that pulled the RedHawks to within one at 30-29. A three-pointer by Harouna at the 3:45 mark gave MU its first lead of the game at 32-31. The Knights closed the half on a 9-2 run to take a 40-34 lead into the break.
UCF built the advantage back to nine early in the second half, but the return of Michael Weathers sparked the Red and White. After he hit a layup, back-to-back three pointers from sophomore guard Jake Wright and Wade, followed by two free throws by Michael Weathers closed the `Hawks to within three at 47-44. Michael Weathers then hit back-to-back layups to give Miami a 48-47 advantage with 14:35 to go.
The Knights went on a 14-4 run over the next seven minutes to take a 61-52 lead with 7:16 remaining. Layups from both Michael and Marcus Weathers and a jumper by Jovic were part of an 8-0 run that made it 61-60 at the 4:05 mark. The teams traded buckets and free throws until it was 66-64 in favor of UCF. Mills hit a jumper with 36 seconds left to tie the score, while the RedHawks made one more defensive stand to force the game into overtime.
The Knights scored the first five points of the extra frame before Wade drained a pair of free throws. Trailing 73-68, a 3-pointer from Mills made it a two-point game with 1:00 to go. That would be as close as the RedHawks could get as despite a layup by Michael Weathers, UCF hit its free throws down the stretch to secure the 80-73 victory.
Marcus Weathers and Mills each finished with 13 points for Miami, while Wade and McLane each had eight. Jovic had a strong game off the bench, scoring six points and recording a career-high five assists.
The RedHawks return home for their final game before the holiday break. Miami hosts Tennessee Tech on Thursday at 7 p.m. With the `Hawks broadcast crew traveling to St. Petersburg for the bowl game on that day, the contest will not air on ESPN3. It will however be available on Miami All-Access for those who have a subscription.
