TUESDAY’S GAME
Miami at Akron, 7 p.m., SportsTime Ohio, 1450, 1230, 980, 101.3, 100.3
The dog days of February have become the dog days of March, and Miami University’s men’s basketball team is still trying to find its way.
The RedHawks took their seventh straight defeat and 11th loss in 12 contests Saturday afternoon, but did put forth a game effort before falling to visiting Kent State 78-58 on Senior Day at Millett Hall.
“It’s hard at this point of the year,” said MU coach John Cooper, whose squad is 8-19 overall and 3-11 in the Mid-American Conference East Division. “You’ve been in a losing rut, and there’s no flowers at the end of the rainbow waiting on this team.
“You’re trying to get effort. You’re trying to get guys to continue to stay locked in and to make sure that you don’t lose what you’re trying to do. You want to make sure that everyone understands that everything we do now serves us now and in the future, and that guys don’t start pulling it down.”
Will Felder scored 18 points and Jon Harris added 16 for Miami, which honored its only senior, Vince Legarza, before the game and former head coach Charlie Coles at halftime.
“It’s sad,” said Legarza, who made his sixth career start and collected four points and six rebounds. “I got a little emotional after the game. What people don’t see is the endless hours that you put in in this gym. Luckily for me, we still have some basketball to be played.”
The RedHawks never led against the Golden Flashes. Despite the final score, though, this was a much tougher game for KSU than its 87-70 triumph over MU last month.
Kent shot 52.1 percent beyond the arc and drained a season-high 13 treys (on 26 attempts). Its top scorers were Chris Evans (21), Randal Holt (19) and Devareaux Manley (12).
“We could never quite get over the hump,” Cooper said. “They always seemed to make some timely shots. The ability to shoot the basketball is what it’s all about. If you can shoot the basketball, you’re hard to guard. That’s a team that can shoot. Their athleticism really bothered us.”
The Flashes (17-12, 7-7) gradually pulled away over the last 11 minutes — it was 50-44 midway through the second half. MU shot 60 percent from the field in the first half, 32.0 percent thereafter.
“I’m proud of how our kids defended in the second half,” KSU coach Rob Senderoff said. “I didn’t think we did a great job in the first half defensively, but in the second half, we sort of stepped that up. I think that made a big difference.”
Harris matched his season high in scoring for Miami, hitting 5 0f 6 field goals. It was his first double-digit performance since scoring 10 points against Wilmington on Dec. 30.
“Guys just did a good job today setting me up,” Harris said. “Coach kept calling out some good sets where we were getting some shuffle cuts and I was getting open. I’m finally starting to make some open shots, just feeling a little more confident.”
Kris Brewer tallied eight points and nine assists for the Flashes, who have won five of their last six games. Quinten Rollins had six boards, three points, three assists and two steals for the RedHawks.
A season-best crowd of 2,125 viewed the contest.
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