The game counted as an exhibition for IU East, but it was another emphatic data point for a Miami team off to its best start since the 1995-96 season.
“We can only play those that’ll play us, and that’s kind of where we are,” Miami coach Travis Steele said. “I just told our group to be obsessed with trajectory and not the result. Everybody’s happy we’re 7-0, but I’ve got to keep us on a greater trajectory. I’m not doing a good enough job yet, and I’ve got to be better.”
Miami (7-0) led 53-24 at halftime and broke 100 points for the third time this season. The RedHawks shot 55.3% from the field (42 of 76), piled up 68 points in the paint and owned a 55-31 rebounding advantage while turning their depth loose in waves.
Evan Ipsaro scored 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, freshman guard Trey Perry added 13, Almar Atlason had 12, Brant Byers 11 and 6-foot-10 freshman forward Tyler Robbins 10 for Miami. Senior guard Peter Suder and senior forward Antwone Woolfolk finished with nine points apiece as the RedHawks’ bench outscored IU East’s 60-34.
“We had six guys in double figures, 17 assists, which is great — our ball was moving,” Steele said. “But again, our defensive execution on ball-screen coverage has got to be better. They had 10 offensive rebounds. That’s on me, and I’ve got to get our guys there.”
Middletown graduate Jeremiah Landers had nine points for IU East, which trailed only 10-9 early before Miami’s depth took over.
Once Miami settled in, the first half turned into a track meet.
After IU East’s Mikey Johnson hit a 3-pointer for a 3-2 lead, the RedHawks answered with an 11-2 spurt capped by a Luke Skaljac 3-pointer and a Robbins jumper to go up 19-9. Miami never trailed again.
Ipsaro continually knifed into the lane during the opening 20 minutes, bucketing four layups in traffic, including a late drive with five seconds left that pushed the halftime margin to 29. Miami shot 52.9% in the first half and went 13 of 17 at the foul line.
“We talk about four-minute wars every media timeout,” Steele said. “I think we finished 9-1 in those tonight. We want our guys not playing the scoreboard — it could be plus-20, minus-20, whatever. We restart it 0-0 every time. It helps keep us engaged over 40 minutes.”
The RedHawks kept the pressure on to start the second half. Eian Elmer’s transition layup off a Woolfolk steal, a Byers 3-pointer and a Woolfolk 3 from the top of the key pushed the margin to 61-26 less than two minutes after the break. Waltz then added a fast-break layup and thunderous dunk as the lead ballooned into the 40s.
Waltz finished 7 of 12 from the field and grabbed four rebounds, while Robbins and Skaljac shared team-high rebounding honors with seven boards each. Suder and Woolfolk each had six rebounds as Miami turned its size and length into 18 second-chance points and 20 points off turnovers.
Perry, one of three key freshmen in Miami’s rotation, continued to flash his energy and scoring punch off the bench.
“I’ve always been an energy guy — that’s just my personality and what I can bring to the court as a freshman,” said Perry, a Lakota East graduate. “I can bring energy, I can bring a spark. I had a good game offensively, but defense is where I’ve got to hang my hat. Every game I’m just trying to stay locked in to our defensive keys.”
Perry went 5 of 8 from the floor and 3 of 4 at the line, attacking the rim repeatedly as Miami repeatedly got downhill. The RedHawks attempted 26 free throws but made only 17, an area Steele pointed to as another point of emphasis.
“We were top 10 in the country in free throw percentage coming in,” Steele said. “Tonight we’re 17 for 26 — that’s not good enough. We’ve got to be way better in that area.”
Still, Miami’s overall offensive profile continued to look like one of the more efficient attacks in the country. The RedHawks entered the night ranked in the top 15 nationally in scoring offense, scoring margin, field goal percentage and effective field goal percentage, and they backed it up with another 100-plus outing while dishing 17 assists on 42 made shots.
Steele said the challenge now is making sure all that production is driven by execution, not just talent.
“I don’t want to win just because maybe we’re more talented, bigger, more skilled or more athletic,” Steele said. “I want to win because we’re more connected and we execute better. Eventually we’re going to play against somebody that’s bigger and more athletic than us. Then what’s going to be our answer?”
Through seven games, one answer has been depth. Steele again played 11 players double-figure minutes, leaning into the idea that Miami’s strength is numbers heading toward Mid-American Conference play.
“We’re going to play through numbers — that’s our advantage,” Steele said. “We can come at you in waves and hopefully wear teams down. Over 31 regular-season games and then three games in three days in Cleveland, you’ve got to have depth.”
Miami returns to action Saturday when it hosts Maine at 1 p.m. at Millett Hall.
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