LOUISVILLE, Ky.— The Miami University men's basketball team won a non-conference game at Freedom Hall against Bellarmine University Saturday night by a score of 71-67.
Mekhi Lairy led the RedHawks (5-6) with 30 points and five assists.
Morgan Safford had 17 points and added five rebounds. Ben Johnson led the Knights (5-7) with 19 points, and Garrett Tipton had an additional 17.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Early three-pointers from Billy Smith and Kamari Williams gave Miami a 9-6 lead over Bellarmine after four minutes of action. The Knights responded by going on a 12-3 run to pull ahead 18-12 at the 11:47 mark.
- The RedHawks stayed resilient, tying the game at 18-18 after Smith's second three-point field goal of the game. Later on, Lairy scored his first points of the game with 6:07 left to play in the first half and didn't look back. He went on to score a total of 15 straight points, including a pair of threes to give the RedHawks a 35-32 advantage heading into halftime.
- Lairy knocked down his third three-pointer of the game to take the opening points of the second half and extend Miami's lead to six points. The Knights went on to reclaim the lead at 42-41. After some back-and-forth, the game remained tied at 53-53 with 6:04 left on the game clock. The Knights then went on a 6-0 run, although the RedHawks came back within one point at 63-62 after a collection of free throws and a Lairy shot from beyond the arc.
- Anderson Mirambeaux made a layup with 1:29 left in the game to retake the lead at 66-65. Right after, Miami forced a Bellarmine turnover. Ryan Mabrey then went on to hit a clutch three-point shot to give Miami a four-point lead with 18 seconds to play. In the end Miami sealed a 71-67 win over Bellarmine.
NOTES
- Lairy had the game-high 30 points and game-high five assists.
- The RedHawks forced 18 turnovers.
- There were 12 total lead changes.
UP NEXT:
Miami hosts Wright State Thursday, Dec. 22. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. in Oxford, Ohio.
