Miami wins its second straight

Visiting RedHawks race to first-half lead, hang on to top Ball State.

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer Updated 12:11 PM Sunday, February 5, 2012

MUNCIE, Ind. — For the first time this season the Miami University basketball team is on a roll, an official roll, the proud owner of a two-game winning streak.

The RedHawks knocked off the Ball State Cardinals 59-53 Saturday afternoon at Worthen Arena, giving them a second impressive victory in a week which began with a remarkable comeback against Eastern Michigan.

It begs the question of whether the RedHawks (7-14 overall, 3-6 in the Mid-American Conference) can salvage a season saddled with so many close losses.

“It showed us a lot, it showed us we can do this,” Miami senior forward Julian Mavunga said. “It closes out all the things people said we can’t do because we lost those three guys (Orlando Williams, Allen Roberts and Bill Edwards).”

Brian Sullivan hit 4-of-6 shots from the 3-point arc and led the RedHawks with 18 points off the bench, Quinten Rollins scored 14, and Mavunga recorded his 13th double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Naturally, the latest win did not come easily for the RedHawks, who were forced to rally from an 11-point deficit with less than three minutes left in regulation on Wednesday and then almost blew an 18-point lead Saturday.

Miami led 34-18 at halftime and coach Charlie Coles raved about the way his players have played outstanding halves of basketball, though it rarely has happened twice in the same day.

“Their first half today? It was a gem,” Coles said. “We played our butts off. But we couldn’t sustain it.”

Miami outscored Ball State 19-5 over the final eight minutes of the first half with the help of five 3-pointers and led by as many as 18 early in the second half before Ball State got its act together. The Cardinals, with the help of 11 second-half turnovers by Miami, pulled to within three, 54-51, with 24.4 seconds left.

After which Mavunga sank 4-of-4 free throws to seal the win.

“We didn’t knock down shots, which has been a theme of the last couple weeks,” said Ball State coach Billy Taylor, whose Cardinals (12-9, 4-5 MAC) have lost four in a row after shooting 25.9 percent from the field in the first half.

Jarrod Jones, who started the day as the MAC’s second-leading scorer behind Mavunga, was held to eight points and was 3-of-12 from the field.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or Pete.Conrad@coxinc.com.

Next game

Who: Miami RedHawks  (7-14, 3-6 MAC) at Northern Illinois Huskies (2-18, 1-7)

When: 8 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Convocation Center, DeKalb, Ill.

TV: None

Radio: WMOH-AM (1450)

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