Miami University's men's basketball team outlasted an overtime foe for the second time in four days, securing the first 20-0 start in MAC history.
Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Miami University's men's basketball team outlasted an overtime foe for the second time in four days, securing the first 20-0 start in Mid-American Conference history.
Senior guard Peter Suder recorded 27 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and three steals in the 107-101 triumph over the Kent State Golden Flashes on Tuesday in Kent, Ohio. Junior wing Eian Elmer chipped in 25 points and six rebounds for the RedHawks (20-0, 8-0 MAC).
"It was a great win," RedHawks redshirt sophomore wing Brant Byers told teammates in the locker room postgame celebration. "We gotta make it a little easier on ourselves next time, but we'll take it."
The RedHawks, who have the best field goal percentage and 3-point percentage in college basketball, outshot the Golden Flashes 54.3% to 48.5%. They held a 62.5% to 28.6% shooting edge in overtime. The game had 10 lead changes.
The Golden Flashes held a 17-6 advantage in second-change points, but the RedHawks held a 24-7 edge in points off turnovers. They also outscored Kent State 48-42 in the paint.
Suder and the RedHawks roared to a 9-0 start. They added a 10-0 run later in the half for a 21-7 edge and led 48-34 at halftime. Elmer scored 11 points over the first 20 minutes. Suder chipped in nine in the first half.
The Golden Flashes outscored the RedHawks 58-44 in the second half to force overtime. Kent State senior wing Rob Whaley Jr. scored 15 of his 27 points in the second half. Junior guard Cian Medley chipped in 12 points over the final 20 minutes of regulation, including a 3-pointer with 57 seconds remaining.
That shot gave the Golden Flashes a 92-88 lead. Suder made a layup 15 seconds later. Skaljac tied the score with another layup with six seconds remaining.
The RedHawks scored the first six points of overtime and never trailed again, but the Golden Flashes cut the deficit to 100-99 with 66 seconds remaining. Suder responded with a layup before throwing a breakaway pass ahead for an Elmer dunk to increase the RedHawks lead.
Suder, Elmer and Skaljac were responsible for 14 of the RedHawks' 15 points in overtime.
"I just loved our guys' response," RedHawks coach Travis Steele told Chatterbox Sports. "I told our guys 'we've been here a million times, This is what we do. We execute down the stretch in the big moments. Our guys our built for that.
"They are built for those moments."
The RedHawks entered Tuesday with the second-most points per game (93.9) in Division I men's basketball, carried by their national-best field goal and 3-point percentage. They also ranked 10th in free throw percentage and 6th in scoring margin.
Despite their unblemished start, the RedHawks required rabid rallies along the way. Their last two games, including a 105-102 overtime win over Buffalo on Saturday in Oxford, Ohio, featured 37 lead changes.
The No. 25 RedHawks will host the UMass Minutemen (12-8) at 9 p.m. EST Tuesday at Millett Hall in Oxford.
Category: General Sports
