‘Our guys are built for this’: Men’s basketball heading to MAC championship for first time in 18 years

CLEVELAND – Another day, another close game for the Miami University RedHawks men’s basketball team.

The RedHawks took their win by eight points over the Kent State University Golden Flashes in the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) tournament. Miami’s 72-64 victory sends the team to the championship game for the first time since the 2006-07 season.

“I thought our guys fought the entire time,” head coach Travis Steele said. “I thought our defense was good … We got great players, we got great human beings in our locker room. I’m not surprised [with] the way that we were able to finish. Our guys are built for this.”

Going into the final 10 minutes of regulation, neither team managed to take more than a two-score advantage. However, a 12-4 run in the final four minutes allowed Miami to take a sizable lead until the final buzzer.

Six of those points came from redshirt sophomore wing Kam Craft. Despite going scoreless in the first half, Craft finished with 17 points, including five triples.

“I only took two shots in the first half,” Craft said. “I just didn’t lose confidence. I knew I was going to get hot, and it just happened at the right time. All my teammates [and] coaches, they instill that confidence in me.”

Following a quiet performance against Eastern Michigan, junior guard Peter Suder led the roster with 23 points and 11 rebounds against the Golden Flashes, good for a double-double. Suder shot perfectly on his four free throw attempts and shot 8-14 (57.1%) from the field.

“Yesterday, I wasn’t feeling too good, [and] when I woke up this morning, I wasn’t feeling too good either,” Suder said. “But we got trainers working with me every single day, trying to get me to 100% when I’m playing … I felt like we were all locked in.”

Senior guard Jalen Sullinger outscored both teams with 29 points coming from six 3-pointers. Senior guard Marquis Barnett and redshirt senior forward VonCameron Davis joined him in the double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Photo by Jessica Monahan | The Miami Student
Miami fans celebrate the RedHawks' win over Kent State at Rocket Mortgage Arena on March 14

Sullinger ended a two-minute drought with the game’s first points off a 3-pointer. He sank two more deep shots to give the Golden Flashes a 9-7 lead after five minutes of play.

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Barnett widened Kent State’s advantage with a layup, but the RedHawks embarked on an 8-4 scoring run to tie the game at 15 apiece. Junior guard Peter Suder gave Miami its first lead of the half 17-15.

Suder increased the RedHawks’ advantage with a 3-pointer, and another jumper brought Miami up 25-19 going into the nine-minute mark. However, Miami’s luck drained when the RedHawks played nearly four minutes without scoring another point.

While Miami remained scoreless, Kent State added seven points, including Sullinger’s fourth triple, to retake the lead. The RedHawks briefly fought back, retaking the lead 32-28 going into the final minute, but a layup from senior center Cli’Ron Hornbeak and a buzzer-beater 3-pointer from sophomore guard Cian Medley sent the game into halftime with Kent State up 33-32.

Both teams kept the back-and-forth going through the majority of the second half. After eight score ties and 13 lead changes, the RedHawks got to work with the scoreboard even at 60-60.

Craft’s triple preceded a pair of free throws from Suder. The Golden Flashes managed two free throws and a jump shot, but Craft sank his second 3-pointer of the stretch to give Miami a four-point advantage with a minute and a half to go.

Kent State couldn’t impact the scoreboard anymore. Sophomore center Reece Potter and sophomore guard Evan Ipsaro shot 100% at the line, and the RedHawks took their second victory in Cleveland and third win over the Golden Flashes this season 72-64.

Before Miami’s win, the University of Akron Zips and the University of Toledo Rockets engaged in a shootout that saw the total score equal 190 points. Akron came out on top 100-90 to solidify its second-straight MAC championship appearance.

In the RedHawks last MAC championship appearance, they also faced Akron. Miami came out on top by one-point, taking a 53-52 win for the RedHawks’ last conference title.

In their first matchup this season, the Zips ended Miami’s eight-game winning streak at the time. Akron outscored the RedHawks 102-75, with six Zips scoring in the double-figures compared to three RedHawks.

“When we played them last time, we were not playing like ourselves,” Craft said. “Right now, we’re playing as the best version of ourselves. We give a lot of credit to Akron for the season they’ve had. They’re a really good team, but I think we’ll be a different version than last time.”

Tipoff for the MAC championship is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. on March 15.

@thekethan04

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