MU pulls off close win over Buffalo

RedHawks’ victory  was ‘much needed.’

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer Updated 2:28 PM Sunday, January 15, 2012

OXFORD — That giant whooshing sound coming from Millett Hall on Saturday night was a collective sigh of relief from the Miami University basketball team.

“I think you know our players needed that, and I did too,” Miami coach Charlie Coles said after the RedHawks edged Buffalo 52-51.

“It’s never too early for a must-win game,” Miami point guard Quinten Rollins said.

That win snapped a three-game losing streak for the RedHawks, all three games having gone down to the wire, and also put them on the board in the Mid-American Conference with a 1-2 record, 5-10 overall.

“In the last three games we were right there at the end,” Miami freshman guard Brian Sullivan said. “The only thing we didn’t do was win.”

Saturday’s game wasn’t much different from the previous three except for the outcome, aided by a Miami defense which forced three turnovers down the stretch.

Also, Sullivan scored a game-high 17 points while hitting 5-of-9 shots from the 3-point arc. His most important trey tied the game at 47-47 with 3:23 remaining.

Jon Harris, who had missed his first five shots from the arc, also drilled a crucial 3-pointer, which gave the RedHawks a 51-47 lead with 1:12 on the clock.

“That was a huge shot,” Sullivan said. “We needed a big make and he stuck it.”

“He made it when it counted,” agreed Rollins. “I knew he wasn’t going to go O-fer for the game. He was going to stick it at least one of those times.”

The Bulls (8-6, 1-2 MAC) weren’t finished.

Buffalo’s Mitchell Watt hit two free throws, and after Rollins made the first of two foul shots for Miami with 8.8 seconds left, Buffalo had a chance to tie the game when Dave Barnett launched a 3-point shot with two seconds left. Barnett’s shot was off the mark. Javon McCrae tipped in the rebound, leaving the Bulls a point short.

Rollins had one of his best games as a RedHawk, finishing with 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting, and he also had four assists and three steals. Drew McGhee added 11 points for Miami.

McCrea led the Bulls with 16 points. Watt recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Next game

Who: Bowling Green (7-9, 1-2 MAC) at Miami (5-10, 1-2)

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday

Radio: WMOH-AM (1450)

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