Fueled by a suffocating defensive surge and a raucous, record-setting crowd, the RedHawks pulled away from Northern Illinois for an 85–61 victory Saturday afternoon.
The win kept Miami unbeaten at 22–0 overall and 10–0 in Mid-American Conference play while extending its home winning streak to 28 games in front of a program-record crowd of 10,640.
“Our guys got the message pretty clearly at halftime — we had to start playing defense,” Miami coach Travis Steele said. “We weren’t hoping they’d miss. We made them miss. That changed everything.”
Miami trailed by five with just over 15 minutes remaining before flipping the game on its head with relentless ball pressure, quicker rotations and a devastating transition attack.
The RedHawks outscored NIU 38–9 down the stretch, holding the Huskies to just 23 points in the second half after they shot 50 percent before intermission. Northern Illinois finished the game at 32 percent shooting over the final 20 minutes and committed 17 turnovers.
Credit: JEREMY MILLER
Credit: JEREMY MILLER
Brant Byers led five Miami players in double figures with 21 points, while Peter Suder added 19. Antwone Woolfolk delivered a dominant two-way performance with 14 points, 12 rebounds and the emotional spark that ignited the run.
“I thought they were too comfortable in the first half,” Woolfolk said. “We knew we had to pick it up defensively. Once we did that, everything changed.”
Northern Illinois controlled much of the first half, building a 26–16 lead and maintaining the advantage until late. Miami finally edged ahead 40–38 at halftime after Byers scored the final five points of the half.
The Huskies briefly regained control early in the second half, going up 52–47 with 14:44 to play.
Then came the turning point.
Woolfolk attacked the rim for a pair of free throws before hammering home a transition dunk that sent Millett Hall into a frenzy. Moments later, an extra pass from Byers found Eian Elmer for a 3, and the RedHawks never looked back.
A baseline out-of-bounds play resulted in a four-point play by Suder, and suddenly Miami was rolling.
Over the next four minutes, the RedHawks turned a deficit into a double-digit lead with a flurry of stops, fast breaks and perimeter shots.
“We have good spurtability,” Steele said. “But it all comes from defense. When we defend, we can get out and play the way we want to play.”
Miami finished the game forcing 17 turnovers while committing just nine of its own. The RedHawks shot 56.7 percent after halftime and held NIU to its lowest scoring output of the season.
Woolfolk credited the team’s energy and physicality.
“I’d rather hold teams to 60 than win a shootout,” Woolfolk said. “If we keep locking in on defense, the sky’s the limit.”
The victory came in front of the largest crowd ever at Millett Hall, surpassing the previous record set in 1976.
The atmosphere was heightened by the return of Miami legend Ron Harper, who was honored with an honorary doctorate prior to tipoff.
“When I first got here, everyone talked about Ron Harper,” Steele said. “To have him back, to honor him in front of this crowd — it means a lot to our program.”
Miami will look to continue its historic run Tuesday night at Buffalo.
“We know how good we can be,” Steele said. “Now it’s about doing it every possession.”
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