Byers finished 6 of 17 from the floor and added five rebounds for the RedHawks, who never trailed and led by double digits for most of the day. Evan Ipsaro scored 12 points and handed out seven assists, while Antwone Woolfolk controlled the glass with 13 rebounds and nine points. Luke Skaljac chipped in 10 points off the bench, and newcomer Almar Atlason added six points and three assists.
Caleb Walker led Air Force with 17 points and eight rebounds, almost all of his damage coming in the paint and at the foul line. Former Fairfield High School standout Kam Sanders finished with six points, three assists and three steals.
Miami, which routed Trinity Christian 129-49 last time out and entered the week ranked No. 7 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, looked sharp early in its first road test.
Eian Elmer opened the scoring with a 3-pointer 28 seconds in, and Byers followed with his first triple for a 6-2 edge. After Air Force briefly settled in, the RedHawks ripped off a flurry from deep to seize control.
Ipsaro sliced through the lane for a layup, Skaljac drilled a right-wing three, and Ipsaro scored again at the rim to make it 15-8. Moments later, Atlason buried a 3-pointer in transition for an 18-8 lead, forcing an Air Force timeout.
Miami’s bench kept the pressure on. Kyle Waltz hit a 3-pointer, Lakota East grad Trey Perry knocked down a jumper, and Peter Suder — who torched the Falcons for 42 points in Oxford last season — connected from long range on a fast break to push the advantage to 21-14 and then 26-15.
The RedHawks led by as many as 14 in the first half and carried a 40-26 cushion into the break after Suder’s jumper in the closing seconds. Miami shot 51.6% from the field and 7 of 17 from 3-point range in the opening 20 minutes, while holding Air Force to 1-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc.
Trailing 45-29 following an Atlason 3-pointer, the Falcons chipped away. Hobin knocked down a pair of threes, Sanders hit four free throws, and Walker scored inside and at the stripe during a 20-8 surge. Walker’s layup with 11:27 remaining cut Miami’s lead to 53-49, the closest Air Force had been since early in the first half.
But just as Clune Arena began to buzz, Miami answered with the knockout stretch.
Woolfolk jumped a passing lane near midcourt and hammered home a fast-break dunk to restore a six-point margin. The next trip down, Skaljac buried a transition 3-pointer from the right wing, and on the following possession, Woolfolk trailed the break and drilled a 3-pointer of his own from the top of the key for a 61-49 lead with 9:30 to play.
That 8-0 run effectively put the game out of reach. The Falcons never got closer than nine the rest of the way.
The RedHawks finished 30 of 64 (46.9%) from the field overall and assisted on 14 of their 30 field goals. Nine different players scored, including Elmer with five points and nine rebounds, Waltz with three points and two boards, and Tyler Robbins and Trey Perry with two points apiece.
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Miami returns home to Millett Hall to host Mercyhurst on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m.
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