MUNCIE, Ind -- Dalonte Brown hit a pair of big treys late in the game as the Miami RedHawks held off Ball State 71-65 Tuesday at Worthern Arena.
It was the second straight win for Miami(10-8, 2-4 MAC) and fourth loss in the last five outings for Ball State (11-8, 2-4 MAC), which was coming off a road win at Central Michigan.
Miami grabbed an early lead and was in front for 35:30, while BSU led for just 2:22. Bam Bowman's layup and triple just before halftime put the visiting RedHawks up 40-33 at the break.
The Cardinals pecked away and edged ahead 45-44 after a Tayler Persons jumper at 14:00. The two teams then traded field goals before Bowman put MU in front with a 3-ball at 12:38.
It was 57-all with 4:28 left, but Brown hit a triple to lift Miami in front for good on the next RedHawk possession. When Tahjai Teague split a pair of free throws at 1:38, BSU trailed 62-60.
Brown, however, drained another trey and added a pair of free throws in the final minute to create a seven-point Miami advantage. Another four charity tosses by senior guard Darrian Ringo allowed the visitors to hold off Ball State down the stretch.
While Miami shot 51.1 percent from the field and the Cardinals finished at 40.7 percent, both teams registered 24 field goals. The key difference came from beyond the arc as MU hit 9-of-24 (37.5%) and Ball State managed just one trey (1-of-11). On the season, BSU is hitting 35.4 (sixth MAC) from distance.
Brown and Bowman, who combined for 5-of-7 outside the arc, were among four RedHawks in double figures. Bowman had a team high 16 points, while Brown netted 13. Ringo owned 15 points and Nike Sibande added 11.
K.J. Walton led BSU with 16 points (7 rebounds and 3 steals). Teague was good for 15, while Persons and Trey Moses chipped in 11 apiece.