OXFORD, Ohio— The Miami University men's basketball team lost a non-conference game at Millett Hall against Wright State University Thursday night by a score of 88-80. Mekhi Lairy led the RedHawks (5-7) with 32 points and added three assists. Morgan Safford scored 14 points and also had six rebounds. Trey Calvin led the Raiders (7-6) with 27 points.

 HOW IT HAPPENED

• The RedHawks first three shots came from beyond the arc to give them an early 9-4 lead. Wright State proceeded to close within one at 9-8 with 15:32 left to play. A steal from Bryson Tatum eventually turned into points after a Billy Smith layup extended Miami's lead to 17-11. The Raiders stayed resilient, tying the game at 19-19 with 7:55 until halftime.
• The Raiders went on to take a 28-22 lead after outscoring Miami 9-3. A three-point field goal from Ryan Mabrey and turnaround jump shot from Lairy diminished the lead to 28-27. Lairy scored the final five points of the half to keep the score close at 37-32.
• Gameplay coming out of the intermission was back-and-forth, the Red and White coming within two points on multiple occasions. Wright State took the first double-digit lead of the game at 50-39 with 15:08 on the game clock. With 11:47 left to play, a floating jump shot from Safford kept Miami within eight at 59-51.
• The Raiders then found their rhythm, scoring 13 unanswered points to extend their lead to 72-51. Lairy knocked down three consecutive three-pointers to bring the RedHawks back within 12 points at 78-66. Kamari Williams added to the three-point barrage to make the score 80-69. Shortly after, Lairy recorded a steal and knocked down his fourth three-point shot in a span of three minutes to bring the score to 80-74. Miami trailed by only four points at 82-78 after Safford and Lairy each made a layup. Ultimately, Wright State held on to win 88-80.

NOTES

• Lairy moved into 12th place on the program's career scoring list (1,414 points).
• Lairy totaled 32 points, the second highest scoring output of his career.
• Tatum had the game-high three steals.
• Williams recorded the team-high seven rebounds.

 
UP NEXT:
Miami hosts Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Thursday, Dec. 29. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. in Oxford, Ohio at Millett Hall.