’Hawks unable to hold lead

MU’s defense struggles in the second half, and turnovers are a problem in its season opener.

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Staff Report 2:53 AM Saturday, November 14, 2009

TOWSON, Md. — Miami University’s 2009-10 basketball season started with a thud Friday night, Nov. 13.

Leading by five points at halftime, the RedHawks surrendered 45 second-half points in an 82-71 season-opening loss at Towson.

“They were really athletic inside, and we had a hard time containing them,” Miami coach Charlie Coles said. “They had so many dunk shots on us, it was unbelievable.

“We needed to stop the ball and help and recover inside. When you don’t stop the ball outside, and your defense breaks down inside, that’s not good.”

Towson senior Calvin Lee, a 6-foot-8 forward, was the beneficiary of the porous RedHawks defense. He shot 10-of-16 from the floor and led all scorers with 25 points. Lee was the lone Tiger in double figures. Towson (1-0) had five other players with at least eight points.

Senior Kenny Hayes paced Miami (0-1) with 17 points. Adam Fletcher added 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and Nick Winbush added 11 points.

The RedHawks shot 55 percent from the field in the first half and grabbed a 42-37 lead at halftime.

“In the first half, we were good offensively,” Coles said. “But sometimes when you score that many points on the road in the first half, you can get a false sense of security. Even though we were scoring, we weren’t defending. We gotta get better.”

Miami finished with 20 turnovers.

The RedHawks return to action Monday vs. No. 4. Kentucky at Rupp Arena.

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