RedHawks Claim 69-64 Road Win at Northern Illinois

Saturday, February 20

DeKalb, IL

6 p.m.

Miami University

9-9,6-7MAC

Northern Illinois University

2-13,1-9MAC

Miami (OH)

Northern Ill.

RedHawks Claim 69-64 Road Win at Northern Illinois

2/20/2021 8:26:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Final Stats (PDF)

OXFORD, Ohio—A five-point advantage after the first 20 minutes of play proved to be what the RedHawks needed after an evenly-matched second half to pick up a key road win as the Miami University men's basketball team collected a 69-64 triumph at Northern Illinois on Saturday evening. Miami moves to 9-9 overall and 6-7 in Mid-American Conference play, while the Huskies drop to 2-13 overall and 1-9 in conference action.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Miami took a 13-7 lead by the 13:50 mark of the first half. Northern Illinois retaliated with a 15-5 run to claim a 22-15 advantage with 7:50 to go in the half.
Sophomore guard Dae Dae Grant knocked down a triple, Miami's first field goal in over seven minutes, to spark a 10-1 run that handed Miami a 25-23 advantage by the 3:01 mark. Junior guard Mekhi Lairy drained back-to-back triples to punctuate the run.
The RedHawks outscored the Huskies 7-4 over the final 2:39 of the half to carry a 32-27 lead into the intermission.
Miami opened the second half on a 15-5 flurry over the first five minutes of the game that included six points from senior forward Dalonte Brown and five points from senior forward Precious Ayah to push ahead 44-31.
After NIU closed within six, the RedHawks used an 8-0 spurt, fueled by five points from Grant, to take a 54-40 lead by the 10:28 mark. Northern Illinois fired back with a 16-5 run to cut the gap to 59-56 with 4:47 to play.
The Huskies further shrunk the Miami cushion to two, by the 2:41 mark, 62-60. The RedHawks persevered down the stretch, outscoring the Huskies 7-4 over the final minutes to collect the five-point win.

NOTES:

Grant led all players with 26 points, his fourth 20-point scoring effort of the season.
Brown recorded his second straight double-double and fifth of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Lairy was the other RedHawk to score in double figures with 14 points. He also recorded four assists.
Miami swept the series with Northern Illinois, also picking up a 70-58 win against the Huskies on Jan. 9 in Oxford.
It is just the second road win of the season for Miami, who moves to 2-6 in road games.
The win snapped a four-game skid for the RedHawks and is their first win in the month of February.

UP NEXT:
The RedHawks continue a brutal road stretch when Miami travels to Central Michigan for a 5 p.m. game on Tuesday, Feb. 23.