Oxford, Ohio – The Miami University men's basketball team beat Eastern Illinois 76-64 at Millett Hall on Sunday afternoon. Evan Ipsaro led Miami (2-2) with 18 points, while Darweshi Hunter added 16 points, six rebounds and three steals. Naykel Shelton led the Panthers (2-4) with 21 points. Ipsaro and Hunter were named to the Miami Classic All-Tournament Team. Bryce Bultman was recognized as the Miami Classic MVP. 
 
How it Happened:

• Bultman got Miami on the board first off of a layup where he was fouled. The Red and White jumped out to an early 9-0 lead after Ryan Mabrey buried a shot from beyond the arc. The RedHawks took their first double-digit lead thanks to a three-point field goal from Bradley Dean at 18-6. A cross-court pass from Dean led to a Mekhi Cooper three-point shot with 11:09 to play in the first half. Later on, Cooper helped extend Miami's lead to 28-10 after threading the ball down the court to Hunter for a layup.
• The Panthers used a 15-6 run to cut the lead under 10 points at 34-25. Hunter made two deep threes to put the score at 41-28 with 1:14 on the game clock. Eastern Illinois trailed 43-30 entering the intermission. The Red and White shot seven more free throws than Eastern Illinois in the first half of play.
• Ipsaro completed a four-point play after getting fouled from the three-point line to keep Miami ahead 51-33 coming out of the break. The Panthers shrank the score under 10 points at 63-55. A technical foul on the RedHawks brought the score to 63-58 with 7:39 to play. Cooper followed this up by stealing the ball and going coast-to-coast for a transition layup at 65-58.
• Miami ended the game on an 11-6 run to edge past Eastern Illinois 76-64. The RedHawks continued to rely on getting to the free-throw line in the second half of play, knocking down 18-24 attempts.

Game Notes:

• Miami shot 39 total free throws.
• Ipsaro went 11-11 from the free-throw line.
• Jaquel Morris put up a career-high four blocks.

 
Up Next:
Miami returns to the court by traveling to take on St. Bonaventure on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 2 p.m.