 BELMONT 83, MIAMI 72 With the loss, MU fell to 5-8 on the season. Belmont, which effectively equaled its season average of 83.2 ppg (10th nationally), raised its season record to 10-3. Two of the three losses came at the hands of Tennessee, which defeated the Bruins 66-65 a week earlier. Another Tennessee team, No. 24 Vanderbilt, provided the other loss.
Guard Drew Hanlen converted 10-of-11 free throws while scoring a team-high 17 points to lead Belmont. Kerron Johnson hit 6-of-7 from the field while scoring 15 points off the bench. Trevor Noack had 11 markers and Mick Hedgepeth made all five of his field goal attempts while chipping in 12 points. Overall, Belmont connected on 28-of-59 (47.5 percent) from the field.
Miami, with three more turnovers and eight less offensive rebounds, got off nine less shots. The RedHawks made 22-of-50 (44 percent) overall and 10-of-21 (47.6 percent) from behind the arc.
BALLARD GETS CAREER HIGH
Senior Nick Winbush, who made 4-of-7 trey attempts, paced Miami with 19 points. Classmate Antonio Ballard converted 5-of-6 from the floor and 8-of-10 from the line while scoring a career-high 18 points.
Junior Julian Mavunga tallied 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Orlando Williams netted 10 points – most of them during the game’s opening frame.
A free throw by Mavunga at 10:11 of the opening period gave Miami its last lead, 19-18. Aided by four offensive rebounds, however, Belmont went on a 10-0 run. By intermission, it was a 15-point Bruins lead.
Things went better for MU in the second half, and Head Coach Charlie Coles attributed some of the improvement to proximity.
COMMUNICATION LINE
Coles noted the RedHawks’ offense played in front of his bench after intermission, making it easier for him to communicate with players, especially freshman point guard Orlando Williams.
“I needed to orchestrate more in the first half,” Coles said. “We can’t let four or five possessions go without telling the team what to do. … In the second half, we had our offense in front of our bench.”
After committing 10 turnovers in the first half and giving up a bundle of offensive rebounds, Miami improved in both areas for the final 20 minutes. “We only had two turnovers, plus we did a better job of rebounding because of that,” Coles said.
Ever so slowly, the RedHawks chipped away, and a free throw by Mavunga pulled MU within five (67-62) with 4:15 remaining. But the RedHawks run ran out of gas, and Belmont soon returned its lead to double digits.
“At times, we were very good,” Coles said. “We were the best team we were all year – at times.”
With No. 3 Kansas (12-0), owner of a school-record 66-game home winning streak, awaiting Miami Sunday, the RedHawks will need all the good play they can muster. It will be the last non-conference game for MU, which opens MAC play at Ohio Jan. 9.
“I just hope our guys can keep their wits about them, and that we can play better at Kansas, which is a tough place to play better at,” Coles said.
FOUR OPPONENTS COMBINED 48-0
During their non-conference schedule, the RedHawks will have met No. 1 Duke, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Kansas and No. 7 San Diego State. Those teams have a combined 48-0 record. |
