MUNCIE, Ind. – The Miami University men's basketball team completed a 40-minute effort, using strong defense and some timely three-pointers to earn a 71-65 victory over Ball State Tuesday evening. The RedHawks improve to 10-9 overall and 2-4 in the Mid-American Conference. The Cardinals fall to 11-8 overall and 2-4 in the MAC.
Junior forward
Bam Bowman led four Miami players in double figures with 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting. Senior guard
Darrian Ringo had 15 points and six assists, while also picking off five steals. Miami shot 24-for-47 (51.1 percent) from the field for the game, including draining nine 3-pointers. The 'Hawks held Ball State to 40.7 percent (24-for-59) shooting, including a 1-for-11 (9.1 percent) performance from behind the arc.
Shots were dropping early as buckets from redshirt senior guard
Abdoulaye Harouna and sophomore guard
Nike Sibande, along with a triple from Ringo quickly gave Miami a 7-2 lead. A 7-0 run by Ball State put it in front, but a triple from Sibande put the RedHawks on top once again.
Sibande and sophomore forward
Dalonte Brown each had to sit out significant portions of the first half with foul trouble, but for the third straight game the bench was able to have an impact. Brown hit a three-pointer before exiting to put Miami in front, 16-15. Sophomore guard
Jalen Adaway made a jumper and took an alley-oop from sophomore forward
Elijah McNamara to complete a 9-0 run that made it 22-15 with 10:47 to go. A triple by redshirt sophomore guard
Milos Jovic extended it to a nine-point advantage at 27-19 at the 8:20 mark.
The Cardinals went on a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to three points. Sibande reentered the game and hit a pair of free throws and a layup to push the lead back to 35-28. Five straight points from BSU pulled them to within two at 35-33, but a layup from Bowman and a triple off an assist from Ringo at the buzzer sent Miami into the break with a 40-33 lead.
The RedHawks shot 15-for-25 (60.0 percent) from the field, including 6-for-13 (46.2 percent) from behind the arc. Six different Miami players hit three-pointers, while a total of nine scored in the first half.
Despite a quick layup from Sibande to begin the second half, it was a slow start for the 'Hawks offensively. Ball State took advantage with a 12-3 run, taking its first lead in nearly 20 minutes at 45-44 with 14:00 to go. The teams traded buckets until five straight points from Bowman off a triple and a layup gave Miami a 51-47 lead at the 11:47 mark.
The Cardinals kept it close over the next six minutes but were unable to go back in front. After a steal and a layup by Ringo pushed it back to three, an old-fashioned three-point play by Trey Moses tied the score at 57. The tie would be short-lived as Ringo from Brown for a triple that made it 60-57 with 4:09 to go.
Miami used some Brown free throws to maintain the advantage. In front, 62-60, another three-pointer from Brown made it 65-60 at the 1:38 mark. Ball State was able to cut the deficit to three-pointer, but the RedHawks hit their final six free throws to finish off the 71-65 win.
Brown finished with 13 for Miami, while Sibande had 11. Adaway brought home a team-high eight rebounds for the RedHawks.
The Red and White return home next Saturday as they participate in the annual One Miami Day. This celebration of Miami's faculty and staff will feature the RedHawks taking on Bowling Green at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN3. It is the middle part of a tripleheader that will see the women's basketball team face Kent State at 1 p.m. and the hockey team take on Colorado College inside Steve "Coach" Cady Arena at 7:05 p.m.
