OXFORD, Ohio -- Miami knocked down 47.8 percent of its 3-point attempts and owned a 20-9 advantage in points off turnovers as the RedHawks defeated Ball State 71-53 Saturday at Millett Hall.
BSU committed 21 turnovers under heavy defensive pressure by Miami. The hosts registered 15 steals in all, with senior forward Logan McLane and junior point guard Darrian Ringo each picking off five steals.
Those two also . . .
. . . led Miami's offense. Ringo hit all five of his trey attempts on the way to a game-high 21 points. McLane had a big day, especially in the second half, finishing with 20 points and six rebounds.
Sophomore forward Bam Bowman provided 12 points and six caroms in his 12 minutes of action, while Nike Sibande chipped in 10 points.
Ball State had just two players in double figures. Trey Moses led the way, hitting 9 of 10 shots from the floor and grabbing seven rebounds. Guard Tayler Persons tallied 12 points before fouling out late in the contest. Sean Sellers added seven points and 10 boards.
Overall, Ball State had the better percentage from the floor, hitting 47.9 percent. Miami made 38.6 percent of its shots. But the Cardinals actually owned just one more made field goal (23-22) and MU had a much better showing from distance. The RedHawks hit 47.8 percent of their treys (11 of 23), while Ball State sank just 3 of 12 (25%).
Another powerful advantage for MU was at the foul line. The RedHawks ranked last in free throw percentage (65.4%) and made free throws (10.8 per game). However, they thrived Saturday, connecting on 16 of 19 (84.2%). Ball State made just 4 of 7 (57.1%).
The teams stayed relatively close early and were tied 19-all with 9:27 left before intermission. Ringo came up with a steal and fed McLane for a dunk to put MU in front and the hosts ran it up to an eight-point lead (27-19) following McLane's triple at 8:01.
“(Ringo) was great. That was a big story of the game, "Ball State head coach James Whiteford said. "They had a good shooting day; obviously, we had a lot to do with it. But all credit to them and certainly to Darrian Ringo, who played a great game.”
"Over the last four or five games, we were up or down a few points at the half, said Owens, noting he put a lot of emphasis this week on "finishing."
When play resumed, the RedHawks picked up where they left off and forged a 17-point cushion (52-35) by the 14:23 mark. After a three by Sibande, McLane scored Miami's next 12 points to open the second stanza.
"Logan really stepped up and just was a beast inside," Owens said. "That's what we've been waiting on -- not (ncessarily) the 20 points, but his energy, his effort -- everything was up! ... He just played extremely hard."
"I was having a lot of fun out there," said McLane, who noted some Owens advice -- If you have "a lot of energy on defense, your offense will come to you."
The senior indicated he has been putting in extra work on hit offense. "If I put the work in, I know it's going to show. It started to show a little bit tonight, so I'm happy with it."
"This is one of our better outings of the year," Owens said. "Our last two or three games, our turnovers have been in the 10 range. If we can continue to do that ... I think we can continue to (succeed.)"
Ball State is on the road again Tuesday when it visits Kent State (7 p.m. ET). Miami heads north to meet Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant (7 p.m. ET).