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OXFORD, Ohio— Peter Suder wouldn't let his team lose.
With 2:41 remaining in the second half of Friday night's nationally-televised game at Millett Hall, the RedHawks were reeling.
Kent State had just buried a three-pointer to take its largest lead of the evening at 79-72, and head coach
Travis Steele called a timeout so his team could regroup.
But Steele wasn't the only one doing the talking.
"I was challenging our guys…I saw some blank stares, we were down…it's like, 'Dude, there's a lot of time left,'" Steele said later. "And I heard Peter: He said immediately, 'Fellas, there's a lot of time. We can do this. We're gonna win!"
For Suder and the other Miami captains (
Dan Luers and
Evan Ipsaro), it boiled down to a concept that Ted Lasso would be proud of.
"The message was 'Belief,'" Suder said. "We were down seven, two minutes left, and we didn't want to lose, obviously.
"But belief's the biggest thing. When that whole team believes, you can accomplish anything."
The RedHawks responded, ripping off a 10-3 run to close regulation and force overtime. And Suder led the way, backing up his words with his play and willing his team to the finish line. The junior guard produced five of his game-high 22 points in the final 1:08 to pull Miami even after two clutch free throws with 13 seconds remaining.
That spurt included Suder's biggest shot of the night, a banked-in three-pointer to trim the deficit to a single possession and send the crowd of 6,339 into a frenzy.
"It was low shot clock, and I knew we had to get it up on the rim," Suder explained. "When I shot it, it was kind of luck. I obviously meant to make it and I tried to make it, but [luck] was on our side with that one!"
His late heroics set up a thrilling back-and-forth overtime period that featured eight —count 'em, eight!— lead changes in a classic 'whoever has the ball last will probably win' situation.
And with 21 seconds left in the extra session and KSU clinging to a one-point margin, Miami's unshakable belief paid off.
Evan Ipsaro drove down the lane, absorbed contact at the rim, and kicked out to
Eian Elmer in the left corner for what would prove to be the game-winning three-pointer.
A steal and a pair of
Mekhi Cooper free throws later, the RedHawks had secured victory.
Final score: Miami 96, Kent State 92.
For the Red and White, it marked the RedHawks' 13th consecutive home win, the program's first 20-win season since 1999, a statement victory in front of a CBS Sports Network audience and —perhaps most significantly— some much-needed momentum for the stretch run after Miami suffered its first back-to-back losses of the season over the past week.
Steele said the key for his team against the Golden Flashes would be how it handled adversity, and Miami passed that test with flying colors, even when the RedHawks found themselves trailing in crunch time.
"Player-led teams are way better than coach-led teams," Steele said. "There's a reason why
Peter Suder,
Evan Ipsaro and
Dan Luers [were voted captains] by their teammates…you hear those guys' voices.
"That's when you need the leadership, is when you hit adversity…it's easy to lead when everything's smooth…
"That's why we won tonight, to be quite frank. Our player leadership was really, really good."
There were plenty of heroes to go around for Steele's squad, including Elmer (who blocked Kent State's potential game-winner in the final moments of the second half),
Antwone Woolfolk (who sparked Miami's comeback with a key three-point play) and
Reece Potter (who came up with the final two-pointer and last steal to help seal the win in OT). The RedHawks' depth has been on full display all season, and Friday was one more example of the 'Strength in Numbers' mantra Steele preaches to try and wear down opponents.
"We've got nine dudes who can flat-out play, hit big shots, and be in big moments, no matter what," said Suder.
But the Sport Management major from Carmel, Ind. himself was the biggest standout, dishing out six assists, pulling down five rebounds and drawing seven KSU fouls to go with his 22 points. Suder was a perfect 10-of-10 from the foul line and also eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career while playing a season-high 39 minutes.
The milestone basket was part of his second-highest scoring output of the year (after he poured in 42 points against Air Force in December, the most ever by a Miami player at Millett Hall).
"Obviously he had a big night," Steele said after Friday's victory over the Golden Flashes. "He's a Swiss army knife: He impacts the game in every single way.
"He's built for it," Steele continued. "He's a winner. That's how he is every day in practice. He's the guy diving on the loose ball in shootaround.
"He'll do
anything to win."
From Suder's perspective, that's exactly why he made the decision to join the RedHawks this season after transferring from Bellarmine. "When I came to Miami, I met the coaching staff and some of the teammates, [and] their whole goal was to win," Suder said simply. "To be a top-three team in the league offensively and defensively, and that's what we've accomplished so far."
But while 20 wins is a nice round number, and the MAC Tournament berth the RedHawks clinched this week is certainly significant, Steele was quick to point out in the postgame press conference that his team is not resting on its accomplishments to date.
The 20-7 RedHawks are looking to build on what's already been a special season and reach even bigger goals.
Specifically, winning three games in a row in Cleveland next month.
"I told our guys going into the game: Our team has earned the right to play in this game [flexed for TV to Friday]," said Steele after one of the loudest home-game atmospheres in recent memory.
"We're not where we want to be, but we're not where we were either. Glad to get 20. The fans were awesome. The students: I can't tell you how big of a difference it makes…
"We want to get in the NCAA Tournament. That's the end goal. 20's a nice little notch in the belt, [but] we keep moving forward."
And with
Peter Suder hitting clutch shots and leading the way on and off the floor, Miami's March Madness aspirations are very much alive and well.
It just takes a little belief.
Find more Front Row Features at: MiamiRedHawks.com/FrontRowFeatures
The Miami University men's basketball team returns to action Tuesday, Feb. 25 when Northern Illinois visits Millett Hall. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. Tickets for the MAC Tournament in Cleveland, Ohio (March 13-15) are also on sale now. Purchase your Miami Basketball tickets today!
