The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Miami nasty in 2nd half

Julian Mavunga leads a 17-0 run as RedHawks rebound vs. Bobcats.

Win makes Coles all-time MAC leader

RedHawks want to get on top of teams early on
New 3 min. ago
Who will get call in goal for Michigan?
New 4 min. ago
Prep results, schedule
New 5 min. ago
RedHawk still stirring it up
8:00 a.m.
RedHawks' Vehr an artist in water
3/16/10
> More sports headlines

By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer Updated 12:59 PM Sunday, January 17, 2010

OXFORD — It didn’t take long for the Ohio Bobcats to realize they were in trouble. Big trouble.

The Miami RedHawks who came out of the locker room after halftime were not the same RedHawks they had seen in the first 20 minutes.

“They were tougher, nastier, more physical,” Ohio coach John Groce said. “Julian Mavunga, starting the second half, there was a look in his eye.”

Miami took total control of the game, scoring the first 17 points of the second half, and the RedHawks went on to beat the Bobcats 79-67 on Saturday, Jan. 16, at Millett Hall.

Mavunga, Miami’s 6-foot-8 sophomore forward, tied a career high with 18 points, including 16 in the second half, and junior guard Antonio Ballard recorded the second double-double of his career with 11 points and 13 rebounds as the RedHawks outscored the Bobcats 50-30 over the final 20 minutes.

“I got on ’em (at halftime),” said Miami coach Charlie Coles, whose team trailed 37-29 at the break. “They came out in the second half and, wow, I figured they’d play better but they played really good.”

“We turned it over and got stagnant,” Ohio junior guard Armond Bassett said of the Bobcats, who did not score a point for the first 7:35 of the second half. “They kind of dictated our offense in the second half.”

Mavunga scored 12 points during Miami’s 17-0 run but got plenty of help from Ballard (who blocked three shots in addition to his points and rebounds), Kenny Hayes (16 points) and Adam Fletcher (13 points).

The victory improved the RedHawks to 5-11 overall and 2-1 in the Mid-American Conference. It also game Miami its first two-game winning streak of the season.

MU led by as many as 15 points late in the second half, but freshman guard D.J. Cooper hit back-to-back 3-point baskets to cap a 10-0 run by the Bobcats, who cut the RedHawks’ lead to four points with 1:20 remaining.

But the RedHawks, who had struggled with their free-throw shooting, came through by going 10-for-10 from the line over the final 1:13.

“If you get a lead and you can make free throws, it’s tough for a team to come back on you,” Coles said.

Cooper finished with a game-high 22 points and Bassett, a transfer from Indiana University, added 19 points for the Bobcats, who slipped to 9-8, 0-3.

Miami dominated the boards, outrebounding Ohio 43-22. The RedHawks had a 17-4 advantage in second-chance points.

Share this article