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Home > Blogs > RedHawk rumblings | Miami University sports news > Archives > 2011 > February > 18 > Entry
Miami’s Mavunga, Roberts have stepped it up
Two Miami RedHawks, junior forward Julian Mavunga and sophomore guard Allen Roberts, have turned their game up a notch since the season-ending injury to Antonio Ballard on Jan. 27.
In the six games since that injury, Miami has gone 5-1. Mavunga has averaged 16.3 points (despite scoring only two points in one of those games) and 10.5 rebounds. Roberts has averaged 15.7 points and 4.2 rebounds.
During that span both players have achieved career highs in points, rebounds and assists.
In Wednesday’s 86-80 overtime victory over Kent State, Mavunga scored one of the game’s key field goals, with 1:07 left in the extra period and the RedHawks leading 74-70. He drove toward the basket and from about 10 feet lofted an amazingly high shot which banked off the glass and through the rim.
“It was just a spontaneous thing,” Mavunga said. “(The Kent State defender) was about to block the shot, so I had to float it up.”
Roberts, who finished the game with 16 points, six rebounds, four assists, two blocked shots (both on KSU fastbreaks) and a steal, had scored the previous basket on one of his hard-nosed drives down the lane.
Roberts later scored on a fastbreak slam dunk with 28 seconds left to give Miami an 81-74 lead.
“In overtime, Allen Roberts delivered,” Miami coach Charlie Coles said. “Allen Roberts has been delivering.”
Roberts also hit the two free throws with 20 seconds left in the second half which gave Miami a three-point cushion, 66-63, only to see the Golden Flashes tie the game on a 3-point basket by Rodriquez Sherman which bounced high off the rim before falling through with 7.8 seconds on the clock.
Coles said he was impressed with the way his players reacted to that shot.
Coles said he was praying, after the bounce, that Sherman’s shot wouldn’t go in. “But our guys, they just came back and said, OK, we’re in overtime, let’s go. And I liked that.”
The RedHawks will take a break from its Mid-American Conference schedule on Saturday when they travel to James Madison of the Colonial Athletic Association.
Miami is in sole possession of first place in the MAC East Division, one-half game ahead of Kent State, but there are four league games left for the RedHawks (five for the Golden Flashes) and Coles knows the MAC far too well to start patting himself on the back.
“Our league, it’s like walking on egg shells,” he said. “I don’t know if I want to claim anything yet.
“I think we can get better,” he said. “We’re not at all satisfied. We’re satisfied with the effort. The guys are having fun and they believe in themselves, and that’s worth a lot. That’s the most valuable thing they have. But we need to improve in technical areas.”
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