Redshirt senior forward Adam Thomas slams home two of his six points during Miami University’s 62-57 victory over Eastern Michigan University Feb. 1. The RedHawks will look to notch their fourth conference victory Saturday against Central Michigan University at Millett Hall. (SCOTT KISSEL | The Miami Student)
The Miami University men's basketball team suffered yet another close defeat Wednesday night, as the RedHawks fell to the Northern Illinois University (NIU) Huskies 62-59 in DeKalb, Ill.
Sophomore forward John Harris and senior forward Julian Mavunga led the RedHawks with 15 points apiece, but it wasn't enough as the Huskies staged a late second-half rally to come away with their third win of the season.
Down 30-29 at the half, Miami opened the second stanza on a 15-4 run, giving them a 44-34 lead with 14 minutes left.
A Harris three-pointer kept the 'Hawks' lead at 10 with nine minutes to play, but then NIU made their run.
Over the last 7:12 of the contest, the Huskies went on a 17-5 run that put them in control for good. Miami was able to tie the game at 58 with 1:04 left after a pair of free throws by sophomore guard Quinten Rollins, but the Huskies scored the next two baskets to come away with the three-point win.
"It's just one of those things," Assistant Head Coach Jermaine Henderson said. "We haven't been able to finish games. We had a 10-point lead in the second half but we weren't able to finish. But we have to give it to Northern Illinois credit; they fought all the way. They don't have the greatest record, but they fought and we didn't finish our chances."
Harris, who hit five three pointers in the game, thought he had knocked down a sixth in the closing seconds to tie the game at 62. But after review, officials confirmed that the ball left Harris' hands after the buzzer sounded.
"Coach Coles drew up a great play for us," Harris said. "It was a play designed to get the ball off fast and when I released it, it felt good. But the monitor said it was just a few seconds late."
Four RedHawks finished the game in double-figures, led by Harris and Mavunga. Rollins finished his night with 12 points and five assists, and sophomore center Drew McGhee added 11 points for the Red and White.
The loss drops Miami to 7-15 on the season and 3-7 in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Harris' 15 points were a career-high, and the coaching staff is hoping they can continue to get performances like this from their standout sophomore.
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"John is being patient trying to make the open shot," Henderson said. "He is doing a great job with passing and being patient, and he has been able to take good shots. Tonight for him it was also a case of good defense leading to good offense. John is one of our young guys and we have to be able to continue to get good shots out of him."
The close loss to NIU gave Miami it's fifth loss in conference by five points or less. While it seems like the ball just hasn't bounced Miami's way so far this season, there is still time left to turn it around before the MAC Tournament in Cleveland at the beginning of March.
"You have to remember that you're playing for the ultimate prize at the end of the season," Henderson said. "Anybody can win in Cleveland and make it to the NCAA Tournament. The first thing that we have to do is get to Cleveland and continue to work on getting better. We have to make a quick turnaround and get ready for Saturday to start."
The RedHawks are hoping to get back on track Saturday when they host the Central Michigan University Chippewas.
Central Michigan (7-16 overall, 2-8 MAC) is led by their super sophomore Trey Zeigler, who leads the team in points, rebounds and assists.
The game will be part of an athletic triple-header involving the women's basketball and men's ice hockey teams.
Tip-off for the game is set for 3:30 p.m. Students can listen to the game on WMSR, redhawkradio.com, or on Miami's IMG Sports Network.
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