The Miami University RedHawks men’s basketball team (21-7, 12-3 in conference play) defended home court for the second game in a row against the Northern Illinois University Huskies (5-23, 1-14 in conference play) with a score of 87-58.
Sophomore wing Elmer played his best Mid-American Conference (MAC) game with 22 points, including five 3-pointers on nine attempts. Redshirt first-year wing Brant Byers matched him with 22 points of his own, his most in any game this season.
The RedHawks shot 12-29 (.414) from behind the arc, with Elmer and Byers combining for nine of them. Miami’s bench players scored 49 points, including 11 from sophomore center Reece Potter.
“We know that we have a great bench,” Byers said. “We can score the ball, we can defend, we can do a little bit of everything. Just coming in and being aggressive is definitely a mindset for us coming off the bench.”
Miami also scored 16 points off 13 turnovers. For head coach Travis Steele, the RedHawks’ ability to capitalize on moments like that has been an important aspect of this game and this season.
“We have good athletes – guys that anticipate off the ball,” Steele said. “We have a lot of guys that see things, and I think that carries over to the offensive end too. [We have] guys that can see things, see the next play. That’s when you’re at your best, when you can score off your defense.”
Elmer sank a deep shot to open the scoring two minutes into the first half. The RedHawks kept the Huskies from impacting the scoreboard for seven minutes. Redshirt first-year wing Brant Byers added his first points with a 3-pointer, and Miami took a 16-0 lead after seven minutes.
Northern Illinois notched its first points with a layup from redshirt first-year forward Tsvet Sotirov. The Huskies climbed back by scoring nine points, four of which came from junior guard Steven Tipton.
Miami outpaced the Huskies with a 15-10 eight-minute scoring run. Elmer and Byers both added their second triples of the night, giving the RedHawks a 46-28 advantage at halftime.
Sotirov and junior forward Antwone Woolfolk traded layups at the start of the second half. However, the RedHawks dominated the rest of the second half.
Miami widened its lead to 23 with a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Mekhi Cooper, his first points of the game. Seven straight points from Elmer gave the RedHawks a 60-33 lead at the first media timeout.
Byers responded to a Jayden Mott layup with his third 3-pointer, bringing Miami’s advantage to 65-35. A dunk from Potter, followed by a layup, brought Northern Illinois’ deficit to 31 going into the final 10 minutes of play.
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Elmer shot two more 3-pointers, and the RedHawks continued their dominance, holding a 30-point advantage until the final buzzer and taking their second-straight win 87-58 over the Huskies.
The RedHawks remain second in the MAC behind the University of Akron Zips, who lost their first conference game on Feb. 22 against the Ohio University Bobcats. Miami travels to the Bobcats on March 1.
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