Despite a career-high 36 points by Michael Bramos, the RedHawks were unable to knock off the Dayton Flyers, blowing a 21-point first half lead.
Christmas came early for local rival University of Dayton men's basketball team as Miami University gave away a 21-point lead, losing to the Flyers 63-62.
Miami led the first 39:55 of its home contest, but it was the final five seconds that doomed the RedHawks as the Flyers escaped with the win Wednesday night.
Dayton guard Brian Roberts drove a dagger into the hearts of an electric Millett Hall with an NBA-range 3-point bomb to win the game.
"I've never made a bigger shot in my career," Roberts said. "I knew I was going to be the one to take that shot."
After being down big early, the Flyers knew they had gotten lucky.
"We're very fortunate to leave here with a win," Dayton Head Coach Brian Gregory said.
As Dayton rushed the court at the buzzer, Miami was left shell-shocked.
"This is right at the top of the toughest losses (in my career)," junior forward Michael Bramos said.
"It stings."
Miami Head Coach Charlie Coles said this would be a hard loss to get over.
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"I don't want to give them credit," Coles said. "But I got to give them credit ... this is a heartbreaking loss, I don't know how you get this out of your mind."
It was a tale of two halves Wednesday night. The 'Hawks soared during the first half, jumping out to an early 20-2 lead and taking a 15-point advantage into the locker room at halftime, only to see the Flyers take off in the second half.
After a successful third place finish in the Anaheim Classic, Bramos carried over his hot play over Thanksgiving and put Miami in the driver's seat early on.
Bramos scored at will from long range, netting 25 first-half points thanks to seven 3-point field goals.
"They were giving me a lot of open shots," Bramos said. "I was just taking what they were giving me."
Bramos finished the game with a career-high 36 points and nine 3-pointers, one 3-point field goal shy of the Miami record.
While Miami seemed poised for an easy victory, Dayton kept themselves within striking distance and chipped away at the RedHawks lead throughout the second half.
The Flyers shut down the red-hot Miami offense during the second half, holding it scoreless for more than 11 minutes.
"I don't know what went wrong offensively," Coles said. "I wish I did know."
After the RedHawks' lead was cut to one with 3:34 left in the game, Bramos revived the Miami offense, hitting a 3-pointer. A three-point play by senior forward Tim Pollitz and another 3-point field goal from sophomore guard Alex Moosmann seemingly put Miami back in control with an eight-point advantage and only 1:42 left to play.
Junior guard Kenny Hayes struggled all night, missing three straight free throws during the final minute of the game, which seemingly could have put the game out of reach for the Flyers.
The charity stripe played the Grinch again as Bramos missed one of two free throws with 13 seconds left setting the stage for Roberts' late-game heroics.
Bramos' career evening was his second consecutive 30-point effort, making him the first Miami player score 30 points in back-to-back games since Juby Johnson in 2004.
His 36 points were also the most scored by a RedHawk since Wally Szczerbiak's 43 points against Washington in the 1999 NCAA Tournament.
Entering Wednesday night, the Red and White were off to a hot start with wins over Xavier University, University of South Alabama and Mississippi State University and a close contest with O.J. Mayo and the University of South California.
While the devastating loss may have squandered their momentum, the RedHawks won't have much time to lick their wounds.
The 'Hawks will be back on the road Saturday as they look to knock off No. 12 in the AP Poll University of Louisville and put their season back on track after Wednesday night's derailment.
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