OXFORD, OH -- Miami RedHawks head coach Jack Owens has extolled the value of a competitive non-conference schedule, and he got another dose of good competition Sunday as MU edged Evansville 70-67 at Millett Hall.
"You can put a schedule together where it does not challenge you (or) you can put a schedule together where you know you are going to be challenged," Owens said. "I think we did (the latter)."
The game was tied 12 times and there were four lead changes. Overall, the Purple Ace held a lead for 16:44, while Miami led for 15:36. Regardless of who was in front, neither was really able to pull away, and neither team led by more than seven points.
The game’s final tie came at 3:15 when K.J. Riley scored on an old-fashioned 3-point play to make it 64-64.. The 6-5 junior guard bettered his team-high 13.4 ppg average with a game-high 20 points against MU.
"K.J. is a really good player," Owens said. "If you do not put bodies in front of him ... he can cause a lot of problems."
"That ki is a talented player. I think he is just scratching the surface," Owens said. "I think he is going toi continue to grow and develop and be a really good player for us."
Evansville quickly had a chance to pull even again at the other end, but Riley missed the second of two free throws.
Miami briefly went up by three, 68-65, when Jalen Adaway drained a 10-foot baseline jumper, but Riley’s driving layup closed the margin to 68-67 at 1:07.
The next possession turned out to be a big one, because Miami turned it into two possessions. Lairy missed a 3-point try, but Bam Bowman wrestled in the carom with just over a half-minute left.
Rebounding was a key advantage for MU as it owned a 44-30 edge. The RedHawks outscored Evansville 11-2 on second chance points, lifting the hosts to a 24-23 field advantage despite hitting just 38.1 percent (to the Aces (46.9%).
"Because of how small they (the Aces) play at times, we should do a good job on the offensive glas, and we did that," Owens said. "Those are the things we need to continue to do as a team, especially when the ball is not going in."
Bowman, who registered 18 rebounds on the day, came up big again when he put back his own miss for two points with five seconds left. A desperation heave by Riley in the closing seconds was well off line.
"It was huge," Owens said of the put-back. "Bam did a great job. It's probably the most minutes he has played since he's been here."
It was the fifth win in six games for Miami, which opens conference play Saturday when it hosts Central Michigan.
Evansville, meanwhile, lost for the third time in four games, dropping its record to 6-7.
NOTES:
>>> Joining Riley in double figures for the Purple Aces was Shea Feehand, who tallied 14 points. Three other players contributed eight apiece.
>>> Dalonte Brown led Miami with 16 points, joining Lairy in double figures. Two other players chipped in eight points each.
>>> While Buffalo is a clear favorite in the MAC, Owens is expecting a widespread battle across the conference once MAC play begins.
"Our conference is a bear," he said. "You start with Buffalo, but when you get past them, there are (still) some really good teams. Every night is goig to be a battle. Home or away, it does not matter. This is the best this league ahas been, I'm hearing, since the '90s."
>>> The overall numbers weren't all that bad, but both Miami and Evansville missed a few opportunities at the free throw line. The Aces missed three of their last four tosses down the stretch. Miami miss-fired on the front end of two one-and-ones a little earlier.
>>> Owens had previously alerted his staff and team that Evansville had been particularly strong in the second half this year. That didn't bode well for MU when the Purple Aces took a 35-31 lead inter intermission. However, Miami outscored the visitors 39-32 over the final 20 minutes.
>>> Neither team shot particularly well outside the arc:
Miami 6/23 (26.1%)
Evansville (4/14 (28.6%)