OXFORD, Ohio -- Nike Sibande and Dalonte Brown combined for 45 points as Miami fought off Purdue Fort Wayne 85-79 Saturday at Millett Hall.
Led by senior guard John Konchar’s game-high 28 points, the Mastodons (5-5) repeatedly battled back and took the lead several times in the second half before Miami (6-4) edged back in front.
"Our guys just found a way to win," Miami head coach Jack Owens said. "Losing the lead in the second half and getting the 'W' was huge,"
It was Miami’s third straight victory and second hard-fought win of the week. The RedHawks beat Wright State 65-62 on a three at the buzzer Wednesday night.
It was the second straight game in which Miami struggled at the charity stripe. The Red & White made just 5-of-15 Wednesday at Wright State). On both occasions, MU missed opportunities to close out the win early.
"We've got to do a better job at the free throw line," Owens said. "A week ago, we were the No. 1 free throw shooting team in our league."
Miami connected on 4-of-6 charity tosses in the first half, which ended with MU holding a 45-44 advantage. With both teams shooting well from the field, the RedHawks were unable to get more than a six-point lead after intermission.
Miami was able to stem the tide thanks to a pair of treys from 6-8 forward Bam Bowman, sandwiched around a Brown layup.
Bowman’s timely triples were particularly notable given he had spent considerable time on the bench with foul trouble. They were, in fact, his only field goal tries on the afternoon.
After MU went up four points, the ‘Dons fought back to take their last lead, 74-73, at 3:41. Miami, however, ran off eight straight points. Sibande, who scored 16 of his team-high 24 points in the second half, provided five in the critical run. Darrien Ringo added a trey.
Purdue Fort Wayne, which shot 66.7 percent from the field in the first half finally cooled off in the closing minutes and finished the period at 48.3 percent.
The ‘Don’s could get no closer than four points (twice) in the final minute and Isaiah Coleman-Lands’ two free throws with 14 seconds left were the game’s final points.
"We beat another quality team that (and) that is going to help us for conference play," Owens said, adding "A lot of guys are contributing."
Konchar, meanwhile, put on an impressive performance for Purdue Fort Wayne. In addition to his 28 points, the senior pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds to pad his status as one of the nation's top rebounding guards.
"He makes plays for them in a lot of areas," Owens said of Konchar, who was an All-Summit League first team member in each of his three previous seasons with the 'Dons. "He is playing at a high level. ... He is really a good player."
Junior Kason Harrell (15 points) was the only other Mastodon player (besides Konchar) to reach double figures.
NEXT:
➤➤ It’s exam week at Miami, so the RedHawks won’t play until Sunday, Dec. 16 when they visit Northern Kentucky.
➤➤ The Mastadon’s are a high-scoring team that entered the Miami matchup scoring an average of 81.8 ppg. They also averaged 10 3-pointers per game, but hit six against MU.
➤➤ Purdue Fort Wayne’s last outing was a 68-65 home court win over Akron.
➤➤ Dalonte Brown was on the court for nearly 37 minutes. He made 9-of-15 shots from the field and registered a team-high seven rebounds.
➤➤ Miami has been winning the rebound battle most of the year, but Purdue Fort Wayne owned a 39-27 advantage on the boards. "We didn't do a good job today," Owens said. "The way they (the 'Dons) play, they space you out and you've got to come up with loose balls and long rebounds -- and we didn't do that."
➤➤ MU owned a 14-7 advantage in points off turnovers.
➤➤ The RedHawks led for 33:15 of the game’s 40 minutes.