MUNCIE, Ind. – Timely three-pointers and free throws helped lead Ball State to a 71-62 victory over the Miami University men's basketball team on Saturday. The RedHawks fall to 8-10 overall and 1-4 in the Mid-American Conference. The Cardinals improve to 11-7 overall and 4-1 in the MAC.
Both teams drained 11 three-pointers in the game, but BSU used a run of five straight as part of a 15-2 run to take the lead after trailing by 11. The Cardinals were also able to take advantage at the free throw line, finishing 16-for-22 from the line, while Miami was 3-for-4.
Junior guard
Nike Sibande led the RedHawks with his second-straight double-double. He was 7-for-14 from the field and finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
For the third-consecutive game, the RedHawks came out on fire early. A three-pointer from freshman guard
Dae Dae Grant, followed by back-to-back treys from senior forward
Bam Bowman put Miami on top, 9-2. Three-pointers from junior forward
Dalonte Brown and redshirt junior guard
Milos Jovic helped increase the advantage to 17-9. Back-to-back jumpers by Brown and Sibande gave the 'Hawks a 21-10 lead with 8:22 to go in the half.
The Cardinals began to answer Miami from behind the arc, draining five 3-pointers as part of a 15-2 run that put them in front, 25-23, at the 4:28 mark. The RedHawks responded with a triple from redshirt sophomore guard Isaiah Coleman-Lands and a layup by Brown to regain a 28-25 advantage. Ball State was able to retie the score at 30 and drained a three as time expired to take a 33-30 lead into the break.
Redshirt freshman guard Myja White opened scoring to begin the second half, while a powerful dunk along and a jumper from Sibande put Miami back on top, 36-35. Sibande made it six-straight points with another bucket, but Ball State answered with a 10-0 run to take control at 45-38 with 11:58 to go.
Sophomore guard Mekhi Lairy ended the drought with a triple, but the Cardinals were able to get the lead back to seven. Three-pointers by Sibande and Grant each made it a three-point game, but each time Ball State was able to hit a couple of free throws to make it a two-possession lead. Sibande drained one more three to cut the deficit to 66-62 at the 2:34 mark, but Miami was unable to score again.
Grant finished with 11 points for the RedHawks, while Brown contributed nine. Miami finished 24-for-51 (47.1 percent) from the field, including 11-for-19 (57.9 percent) from behind the arc. Ball State was led by Tahjai Teague with 14 points.
Miami begins a three-game homestand on Tuesday when it hosts Akron. Tip is at 7 p.m. and it will air live on ESPN+. An audio broadcast will be available on the Miami Sports Network from Van Wagner.
