OXFORD, Ohio – The Miami RedHawks had been tantalizingly close – but ultimately short – while falling four straight times over the last two weeks. They finally got over the hump Tuesday, and a big hump it was as MU knocked off MAC-leading Buffalo 84-81 at Millett Hall.
Freshman Nike Sibande led the RedHawks, who rallied from a 41-36 halftime deficit and held off heavy Buffalo . . .
"It felt good. I had it going for a while there," said Coleman-Lands, who credited his teammates for finding him. He also noted the young squad has considerably more chemistry than when MU lost at Buffalo in MAC Week 2.
Point guard Darrian Ringo rounded out Miami’s double figure scoring with 11 points, adding five assists and three steals while registering just one turnover.
Eleven total turnovers was part of its winning formula for MU, which had committed 34 over its last two outings – a one-point loss at Eastern Michigan and overtime setback at Ohio.
"We've been one or two possessions away (from a win) the last two to four games," Miami head coach Jack Owens said. "However, you slice it, we've been right there."
Forward Bam Bowman provided the first two with 31 seconds left. "I was proud of Bam. I believe we were up three ... and he steps up and knocked down two big free throws," Owens said.
Sibande followed with four of his own before missing a pair with just two seconds left. By that point, the RedHawks were up six -- more than enough to survive Jeremy's Harris' buzzer-beating toss from beyond half court.
Harris, a 6-7 junior guard, had a big night for UB, easily topping his 14.8 ppg average with a game-high 23 points. He went 9 of 17 from the field and 5 of 9 on triple attempts. Harris also led the Bulls with eight rebounds.
"He scores from the perimeter. He scores inside. He's just tough," Owens said
Together, the two teams combined for 17 steals, with Miami owning a 10-7 advantage.
Buffalo, which pulled away in the second half for an 82-66 victory in mid-January, got off to a quick start in the rematch by jumping out to a 10-2 lead by the 17:20 mark.
"Even though they made some tough shots to start the game, (we) just want(ed) to stick to the game plan and make them score in a half court and over the top of us," Owens said.
Miami took the early punch and fought back to trail 12-10.
And so it went for the remainder of the opening period. Buffalo would expand its lead – sometimes into double digits and once reaching 11 points. MU would then close the gap, eventually pulling within three before going into halftime down five.
When play resumed this time, Miami was able to step up. A 9-2 RedHawk run to start the second half gave the hosts their first lead. Brown’s dunk put MU in front 45-43 and the two teams battled through the next several minutes with multiple lead changes and ties.
"It was definitely a big win for us," Coleman-Lands said. "We showed that we can play with anybody in this league. (Coach Owens) was just telling us we've got to keep the ball rolling."
"We're a tough-minded team," Owens said. "They knew what was at stake today. ... (With) the way we were able to finish the game and (with) how everyone contributed to the win, I'm just happy for the guys," Owens said.
NEXT:
Both teams return to action Saturday. Miami is at Akron (2:00 p.m.) and Buffalo hosts Ohio (3:30 p.m.).
>>>> Each team had 30 field goals and made 11 3-point goals -- albeit Buffalo had 10 less tries outside the arc. Overall the Bulls finished at 52.6 percent from the floor to 50 percent for Miami. UB hit 47.8 percent from distance to 33.3 percent for Miami.
>>>>> MU had an 11-17 turnover advantage.
>>>> Buffalo won the battle of the boards, 34-28.
>>>>> Buffalo leads the MAC with a 12-3 conference record, but it has not won three straight games since a nine-game winning streak that started Dec. 28 and continued through Jan. 26.
>>>>> Miami’s last win prior to Tuesday was against Northern Illinois back on Feb. 3.