Brown's Buzzer Beater Helps Down Huskies, 85-82

Saturday, January 22

Oxford, Ohio

3:30 p.m.

Miami University

9-8,3-3MAC

Northern Illinois University

5-10,2-3MAC

OT 1

NIU

Miami (OH)

Brown's Buzzer Beater Helps Down Huskies, 85-82

1/22/2022 6:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Boxscore (PDF)

OXFORD, Ohio—Senior Dalonte Brown's three-pointer with 0.8 seconds remaining in overtime gave the Miami University men's basketball team (9-8, 3-3 MAC) a dramatic 85-82 win over Northern Illinois on Saturday afternoon at Millett Hall. Brown, who poured in a team-high 24 points, sent the contest to extra time, connecting on a triple with 11 seconds remaining in regulation to help down the Huskies (5-10, 2-3 MAC).

Mekhi Lairy added 21 points in the game, giving Lairy exactly 1,000 points for his career. Dae Dae Grant had 18 points for the RedHawks, who trailed Northern Illinois 59-44 with less than nine minutes remaining in regulation before mounting a spirited comeback to force the extra session.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Miami notched a quick 5-3 advantage, but the Huskies used a 13-2 surge to capture a 21-9 lead by the 11:09 mark of the opening half.
Using a 6-0 spurt that included a pair of free throws each from Dae Dae Grant and Precious Ayah and jumper from Myja White, Miami closed within 31-27 with 2:19 to go in the half.
NIU closed the first half scoring six unanswered points to carry a 37-27 lead into the half.
After the Huskies again pushed their lead to 12 points, back-to-back triples from Mekhi Lairy and Isaiah Coleman-Lands closed the gap with 13:14 to go, 43-37.
NIU took its largest lead of the game at the 8:53 mark of the second half, 59-44, but Miami was able to evaporate it over the final stretch of regulation.
Miami chiseled away and was able to close within four with just under a minute to go after Grant drained a triple and a pair of free throws, 71-67. Miami continued to apply pressure and a Brown triple with 11 seconds remaining knotted the game, 74-74, sending the game into overtime.
Lairy scored his 1,000th career point with 39 seconds remaining to hand Miami an 82-79 lead in overtime.
NIU tied it up 12 seconds later, but Brown's triple with 0.8 seconds remaining gave the Red and White the victory.

NOTES:

Brown pulled down five rebounds in the opening half, moving him into ninth on Miami's career list. He finished with seven and owns 785 career boards.
Brown paced the RedHawks with 24 points, 20 coming in the second half/overtime. Lairy added 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting and Grant chipped in with 18 points and seven boards.
Ayah collected three blocked shots and has blocked 12 shots over the last four games.
Lairy becomes the 38th player in program history to amass 1,000 career points.
This was the RedHawks' second overtime game of the season. Miami moves to 77-53 all-time in overtime games.

UP NEXT:
Miami hits the road for a 7 p.m. game at Ball State on Tuesday, Jan 25.