Miami's Tyler Dierkers goes up for an easy basket Saturday evening at Millett Hall. The RedHawks recorded their second MAC win of the season, 65-52.
After a four week stretch in which the Miami University men's basketball team recorded just one win, the RedHawks flew high during a convincing 65-52 victory over the Eastern Michigan University Eagles Sunday evening at Millett Hall.
Junior guard Kenny Hayes hit his first four shots from behind the arc in the first half to lead Miami to 43 points in the first 20 minutes. His efforts were complemented by strong play in the paint from senior forward Tim Pollitz, who totaled 22 points on the night. Aided by several brilliant inside passes from junior center Tyler Dierkers and a healthy dose of one-on-one looks created by hot outside shooting, Pollitz cruised to his first 20-point game since setting a career high with 26 against Chicago State Dec. 18.
"It was good to see us come out and play well because not only have we been losing, but we really haven't played very good," Head Coach Charlie Coles said. "To come out and play this well today was very refreshing."
The RedHawks, who never trailed in the game, established their early lead with a well oiled offense that was clicking on all cylinders. Dierkers and Pollitz combined for 12 of Miami's 15 assists, often finding one another in traffic with backdoor passes that led to easy buckets. Their dominance down low opened up the 3-point game for Hayes and Alex Moosmann, who together shot 6-7 from behind the arc in the first half.
"Any time we're able to establish Tim down low, that opens up the outside for our shooters to step up and make shots," Dierkers said. "Kenny and Alex were huge for us in the first half. They got us rolling by making shots."
Matched up against Eagle's center Justin Dobbins, it appeared that Dierkers was in for a long night. Dobbins started the game strong, sending a statement early with a powerful two-handed dunk. But Dierkers adjusted well and was able to keep the bigger and stronger Dobbins in check for most of the night.
"Tyler is coming along mentally and physically," Coles said. "He is showing me a side that took him a while to show me. He might be our leader and I never thought he could lead anything."
After amassing a healthy 18-point first half lead, the 'Hawks found themselves up by as many as 21 midway through the second period. But just as the fans in a full Millett Hall were starting to feel comfortable, a quick 8-0 Eagle run sent a jolt of anxiety through the stands.
They had seen this story before: Not even an extended Christmas break could erase the memory of the game against the University of Dayton, in which the RedHawks blew a 19 point lead and nine Michael Bramos 3-pointers in a last second defeat to the Flyers. Now, after a suddenly similar first half of long buckets and large margins, the RedHawks were once again facing the all-to-familiar-situation, as Miami had its lead cut to 13.
"I thought 'here we go again,'" Coles said, of the late Eagles run. "I was more than a little worried."
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However, unlike in the Dayton game, a more experienced Miami team was able to rebound. The RedHawks came together as a defensive unit and allowed only four points over the last six minutes of play.
"Down the wire in the second half, I think we did one of the best jobs defensively in a long time," Pollitz said.
For the second game in a row, Miami set a season low for turnovers in a game with seven. The mark is a drastic improvement from the first three games of the team's conference schedule, in which the 'Hawks averaged 14.7 turnovers per game. Both coaches and players admitted that turnovers have not been a focus during recent practices, and could only attribute the turnaround to a maturing of the team as a whole.
The victory marked the 12th straight time that Miami has defeated the Eastern Michigan Eagles. EMU has not won against the Red and White since 1998, with its last win in Oxford dating back to 1996. Miami's triumph also moved Coles into sole possession of second place on the MAC's all-time conference win list at 177.
The RedHawks will now head out for a two-game road trip, in which Miami will face conference opponents Northern Illinois University and Ball State University.
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