Box Score

Miami 49, Ball State 47

MUNCIE, Ind.--Senior guard Eric Washington drained two free throws with 3.2 seconds in the game to secure a 49-47 win for the Miami University men's basketball team over Ball State University in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament. It was Miami's fourth win in five games and improves the RedHawks to 13-19 overall.

Washington, who was named Honorable Mention All-MAC earlier today, had a near triple double, finishing the game with 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Senior forward Chris Bryant added 14 points.

Defensively, Miami held Ball State to 37.5 percent shooting and the Cardinals were just 3-of-23 shooting from behind the arc.

Miami pushed ahead to a quick 4-0 lead off a pair of baskets by Bryant. The Cardinals came back with a triple, but Bryant hit another bucket to notch his sixth point of the game and had MU a 6-3 edge by the 15:29 mark. A triple from senior guard Eric Washington put the RedHawks at a 9-3 lead a minute later. The Cardinals came back to knot the game at 14-14, but a pair free throws from Bryant and layup by Washington extended the RedHawk lead to 18-14 by the 17:42 mark.

Again BSU came back to even the score at 18-18, but a 3-pointer from sophomore forward Rod Mills pushed the RedHawks ahead 21-18 with just over four and a half to play in the opening half. Miami posted its largest advantage of the half on a layup from sophomore guard Abdoulaye Harouna with 47 seconds to play that capped a 6-0 spurt for the RedHawks, who to notch a 27-20 advantage. Ball State scored the final bucket of the opening half as the RedHawks carried a 27-22 edge into the intermission.

Ball State was able to close within three in the early minutes of the second half, however, a 5-0 Miami surge that included a pair of buckets from Washington, pushed the RedHawk advantage to 34-26 with just under 17 minutes to play. Mills' second 3-pointer of the night handed Miami a double-figure lead with just over 15 minutes to play, 37-27. Ball State again chiseled away at the RedHawk lead with an 11-2 run to pull within one with just under eight to go, 39-38.

Harouna found senior forward Kalif Wright under the basket with 5:49 to play to extend the RedHawks' lead to three and give them their first points in nearly five minutes. Bryant came back with a layup that put the Red and White ahead five with 4:48 to play, 43-38. After the Cardinals came within two, a pair of Washington free throws put Miami ahead by four with 3:25 to play, 45-41. Senior guard Geovonie McKnight sunk an off-balance jumper to hand MU 47-42 advantage.

The teams continued to slug it out as an old-fashioned three-point play by BSU's Franko House put the Cardinals within two with 1:14 to go, 47-45. House scored on a layup with 32 seconds to play to knot the game at 47-47. Washington was fouled with 3.2 seconds to go and Washington sunk both free throws to give Miami a 49-47 win.

With the victory, Miami advances to the 2016 MAC Tournament Quarterfinals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The RedHawks will face No. 3 seed Buffalo 30 minutes after the conclusion of the 6:30 p.m. quarterfinal game.