By MIKE SMITH
OXFORD, OH – After giving up the better part of a 15-point lead just before halftime, the Miami RedHawks, regrouped to post an 89-69 win over Division III Olivet College Thursday at Millett Hall.
It was the last tune-up before Mid-American Conference play for Miami, which raised its record to 7-6. The RedHawks finished above .500 in non-conference action for the first time since 2008-2009. Olivet dropped to 4-7.
Four Miami players . . .
OXFORD, OH – After giving up the better part of a 15-point lead just before halftime, the Miami RedHawks, regrouped to post an 89-69 win over Division III Olivet College Thursday at Millett Hall.
It was the last tune-up before Mid-American Conference play for Miami, which raised its record to 7-6. The RedHawks finished above .500 in non-conference action for the first time since 2008-2009. Olivet dropped to 4-7.
Four Miami players . . .
. . . reached double figures. Leading the way was junior Logan McLane, who posted his first career double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. "I think he missed three point blank shots, so if he makes them, his numbers are even better," Miami head coach John Cooper said. "We've (had) a lot of opportunities around that basket that we, quite frankly, don't finish. We've got to do a better job of that."
Michael Weathers contributed 16 points, while Rod Mills and Marcus Weathers registered 11 apiece. Dion Wade chipped in nine points and seven boards.
Miami owned a 48-37 rebounding advantage, good for a 14-9 edge in second chance points. The RedHawks did much of their damage at or near the rim, posting a 40-24 advantage in the paint.
"They played zone and they are really aggressive," Cooper said, noting it was something his squad needed to see before conference play. "They'll just sort of trap you at different times, which will catch you off guard. ... We hadn't really played a team that has done that to us this season."
Olivet senior guard Eric Ewing, who entered Thursday’s contest averaging a team-high 19.0 points per game, along with 6.3 rpg. led all scorers with 29 points. Ewing hit 11 of 20 from the field, including 3 of 8 from distance. Aaron Washington was the only other Comet in double figures. He notched 16 points, hitting 6 of 13 from the field and 4 of 8 trey attempts.
Olivet grabbed an early lead before McLane put Miami ahead, 8-7, with a basket at 16:11. Each team had the lead before OC worked its edge up to six points on two separate occasions.
Miami took the lead for good on a pair of Michael Weathers free throws with 6:42 left in the first half. MU then built its margin to 45-35 with 1:46 before intermission.
Michael Weathers contributed 16 points, while Rod Mills and Marcus Weathers registered 11 apiece. Dion Wade chipped in nine points and seven boards.
Miami owned a 48-37 rebounding advantage, good for a 14-9 edge in second chance points. The RedHawks did much of their damage at or near the rim, posting a 40-24 advantage in the paint.
"They played zone and they are really aggressive," Cooper said, noting it was something his squad needed to see before conference play. "They'll just sort of trap you at different times, which will catch you off guard. ... We hadn't really played a team that has done that to us this season."
Olivet senior guard Eric Ewing, who entered Thursday’s contest averaging a team-high 19.0 points per game, along with 6.3 rpg. led all scorers with 29 points. Ewing hit 11 of 20 from the field, including 3 of 8 from distance. Aaron Washington was the only other Comet in double figures. He notched 16 points, hitting 6 of 13 from the field and 4 of 8 trey attempts.
Olivet grabbed an early lead before McLane put Miami ahead, 8-7, with a basket at 16:11. Each team had the lead before OC worked its edge up to six points on two separate occasions.
Miami took the lead for good on a pair of Michael Weathers free throws with 6:42 left in the first half. MU then built its margin to 45-35 with 1:46 before intermission.
Chris Chrzan, however, kicked off a Comets 10-0 blitz with two straight threes. Olivet then got a steal and short jumper by Ewing. Miami wanted to get the last shot, but Olivet came up with another steal and Ewing was on his way to a sure two-point layup when goaltending was called against Miami just before buzzer. That pulled the visitors to within five points, 45-40.
"We get up (on them) and then we don't close the half the right way. Obviously, I wasn't happy with that," Cooper said.
Mills and McLane provided the points in a 6-2 Miami burst to open the second half. A short time later, MU added an 8-0 run to grab a 14-point advantage at 61-47. By the 9:32 mark, Miami owned a 72-54 lead. Olivet never got closer than 12 points after that, and the RedHawks led by as many as 24 (85-61 and 87-63).
Both teams dropped off on their second half field goal percentage. Olivet slipped from 44.1 percent to 31.3 percent in the second half, finishing at 37.9 percent. The Comets were good on 10 of 35 (28.6%) from beyond the arc and made 9 of 13 free throws over 40 minutes.
Miami also faded from the field after intermission, dropping from 48.5 percent in the first stanza to 41.9 percent post intermission. The RedHawks made 29 of 64 (45.3%) overall and 9 of 30 (30%) on treys. They were busy, if not particularly accurate, at the foul line. MU made 22 of 34 (64.7%) from the stripe.
Both teams pressured the ball effectively, and they combined for 34 turnovers (16 MU, 18 Olivet). However, Miami owned a 31-16 advantage in points of turnovers. The RedHawks were 40-24 better on points in the paint.
Miami opens its Mid-American Conference Tuesday at home against Northern Illinois (7 p.m. ET). That is one of just two home tilts across MU’s first six conference games.
NOTES:
> COOPER ON WRAPPING UP CONFERENCE PLAY: "I'm glad to come back from Christmas break and et a chance to get our feet wet and get going and get back up to speed. ... We've got to get better, but conference play is upon us, so we've got to get out eyes focused toward that."
> BANGED UP: Both Weathers brothers came out of Thursday's game with injuries. Michael took a shot to the face, while Marcus took a tumble following a rebound late in the contest.
> REBOUNDING CHALLENGE: Cooper noted the RedHawks had expected to enter 2016-17 with the services of 6-6 Freshman Precious Ayah. However, he suffered a season-ending injury about three weeks before the opener. "Precious would probably be our best rebounder," Cooper said. "We (will) have to do it (rebounding) a different way."
> ADJUSTING ON THE FLY: Point guard Michael Weathers entered Thursday's game with a 19.5 ppg record and scored 16 points against the Comets. However, Cooper noted the freshman didn't appear to "have the same burst or energy that he did before" a recent bout with tonsilitis. He also noted Weathers must also adjust to not only college ball, but the various kinds of defenses that he will face as a primary scorer.
Marcus Weathers has been a help on the boards. The freshman's nine rebounds Thursday matched a season high. (MVSmith/MRO file) NOTES:
> COOPER ON WRAPPING UP CONFERENCE PLAY: "I'm glad to come back from Christmas break and et a chance to get our feet wet and get going and get back up to speed. ... We've got to get better, but conference play is upon us, so we've got to get out eyes focused toward that."
> BANGED UP: Both Weathers brothers came out of Thursday's game with injuries. Michael took a shot to the face, while Marcus took a tumble following a rebound late in the contest.
> REBOUNDING CHALLENGE: Cooper noted the RedHawks had expected to enter 2016-17 with the services of 6-6 Freshman Precious Ayah. However, he suffered a season-ending injury about three weeks before the opener. "Precious would probably be our best rebounder," Cooper said. "We (will) have to do it (rebounding) a different way."
> ADJUSTING ON THE FLY: Point guard Michael Weathers entered Thursday's game with a 19.5 ppg record and scored 16 points against the Comets. However, Cooper noted the freshman didn't appear to "have the same burst or energy that he did before" a recent bout with tonsilitis. He also noted Weathers must also adjust to not only college ball, but the various kinds of defenses that he will face as a primary scorer.
> COOPER ON WRAPPING UP CONFERENCE PLAY: "I'm glad to come back from Christmas break and et a chance to get our feet wet and get going and get back up to speed. ... We've got to get better, but conference play is upon us, so we've got to get out eyes focused toward that."
> BANGED UP: Both Weathers brothers came out of Thursday's game with injuries. Michael took a shot to the face, while Marcus took a tumble following a rebound late in the contest.
> REBOUNDING CHALLENGE: Cooper noted the RedHawks had expected to enter 2016-17 with the services of 6-6 Freshman Precious Ayah. However, he suffered a season-ending injury about three weeks before the opener. "Precious would probably be our best rebounder," Cooper said. "We (will) have to do it (rebounding) a different way."
> ADJUSTING ON THE FLY: Point guard Michael Weathers entered Thursday's game with a 19.5 ppg record and scored 16 points against the Comets. However, Cooper noted the freshman didn't appear to "have the same burst or energy that he did before" a recent bout with tonsilitis. He also noted Weathers must also adjust to not only college ball, but the various kinds of defenses that he will face as a primary scorer.
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