KALAMAZOO, Mich.—A three-pointer by senior forward
Dalonte Brown less than 30 seconds into the second half handed the Miami University men's basketball team a lead it would not relinquish as the RedHawks (8-7; 2-2 Mid-American Conference) collected a 70-62 win against Western Michigan University (4-12; 0-5 MAC) on Saturday afternoon at University Arena.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Miami used a 9-1 run that included a three-point play from senior guard Mekhi Lairy to take a 17-13 lead by the 11:16 mark of the first half.
- After the Broncos took a 31-25 advantage with 4:40 to play in the opening half, the RedHawks put together a 7-0 flurry, capped by a junior guard Dae Dae Grant triple, to take a one-point edge at the 2:52 mark, 32-31. WMU's Titus Wright scored off a layup at the 1:58 mark to give the Broncos a one-point advantage, which they carried into the intermission, 33-32.
- The RedHawks opened the second half on a 10-1 surge that included five points from Lairy as Miami pushed ahead to a 42-34 lead by the 18:01 mark.
- Western Michigan closed within two, 48-46, but Lairy scored five straight points during a 7-0 RedHawk run to extend the Miami lead to nine, 55-46, with just over seven minutes to play.
- Again, WMU closed the gap as Lamar Norman, Jr. hit a trey to inch the Broncos within three with 2:22 to play, but Grant found Brown, who drilled a crucial triple with 1:50 to go to lift Miami to a 66-60 advantage. The RedHawks extended their lead to double figures off a pair of Grant free throws with 27 seconds remaining, 70-60, and finished with an eight-point win.
NOTES:
- Four RedHawks scored in double figures, led by Lairy and Brown with 15 apiece. Senior forward Precious Ayah and senior guard Isaiah Coleman-Lands chipped in 12 and 11, respectively.
- Miami went 15-of-15 from the free throw line, the first time the RedHawks have been perfect from the charity stripe this season.
- Miami blocked five WMU shots, two coming from Ayah, and had no shot attempts blocked.
- The RedHawks had no second-half turnovers.
UP NEXT:
Miami returns home to host Ohio University in a Battle of the Bricks match-up at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 18.
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