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Allen Roberts registered his fifth straight game in double figures. Below, Nick Winbush cuts through traffic in the lane. He led all scorers with 26 points. Photos by Mike Smith.

With the win, Miami (14-12, 9-3 MAC) slips past Kent State (17-8, 8-3 MAC) into first place in the MAC East.  Both teams came into the matchup riding winning streaks. After trouncing MU 78-57 Jan. 23 in Kent, the Flashes added five more victories to their record before making the trip to Oxford. Miami bounced back from the KSU drubbing to win five of its next six, including four straight after an overtime home loss to Western Michigan Jan. 29.

That was two days after the RedHawks lost two starters – senior forward Antonio Ballard and  freshman point guard Quinten Rollins. Somehow, the RedHawks regrouped and started winning. But in two recent victories  - on the road against MAC West foes - Miami was often unimpressive before pulling out wins in the final seconds.

Wednesday’s win over Kent State, especially coming from behind, is likely to gain the RedHawks more recognition – and scrutiny from other teams. According to Miami head coach Charlie Coles, though, every night out is a challenge in MAC play.

"I don't know if I want to claim anything yet," Coles said. "Tonight we played what I thought was the best team in  the league coming into this game, and we played well. ...  We weren't always smart on the floor tonight, but we were pretty tough mentally."

As has been the case recently, Miami brandished a balanced offense. Five players made it into double figures Wednesday, and two posted double-doubles. Senior Nick Winbush hit 9-of-14 shots from the field (including 3-of-8 on treys) on the way to a game-high 26 points. He also had 12 rebounds. Mavunga, meanwhile, registered 17 points and 17 rebounds in 34 minutes.

"We couldn't get a fourth foul (on Mavunga)," Ford said. "We were trying to go inside a little bit, but obviously we didn't go strong enough or get enough contact to get a foul. It was a big factor in the game."

After the MU veterans, several rising underclassmen added significant contributions. Sophomore Guard Allen Roberts tallied 16 points, marking the fifth straight game – all Miami wins – that he has scored in double digits. Classmate Orlando Williams contributed 14 points, including a huge four-point play during a key run by MU early in the second half. Freshman Josh Sewell, meanwhile, chipped in 11 points, nine of which came in 11 attempts from the free throw line. He was particularly valuable as the Flashes fouled often while trying to catch the hosts in overtime.

Foul shooting, in fact, was again a key ingredient for Miami, which can get to the line and does well when it gets there. “We’re shooting more free throws than any team we’ve had in the last six years, I think,” Coles said.

Overall, MU made 29-of-35 (82.9 percent) attempts from the stripe. The RedHawks converted 14-of-17 during the second half and added 9-of-11 during overtime.

“It was a big factor in the game,” Kent State head coach Geno Ford said. “We put them in the bonus pretty quick (in the second half)."

Miami was shooting the bonus by the 10:34 mark of the second half and a foul by Justin Green at 6:25 moved MU into super bonus opportunities (two shots).

Ford also noted the mounting fouls affected Kent State’s defensive options. “We couldn’t trap or do some of the stuff we like to do,” he said. “When we’re playing well, we steal the ball a lot.”

KSU took an early 7-6 lead and gradually built it into a 13-point cushion after guard Rodriguez Sherman hit a trey at 7:19. The senior converted every shot he took in the first half, going 5-for-5 from the field (with two 3-pointers) and making his only free throw while scoring 13 points. He had 23 for the game.

Miami’s senior starter – Winbush – also was a key player in the first period. His dunk at 5:20 started a 6-0 Miami run at a time when the RedHawks desperately needed to stem the Flashes’ tide. Winbush had 16 points the first 20 minutes, and KSU led by seven (33-26) at the break.

Most of the difference between the two teams came from points in the paint, where KSU outscored the RedHawks 22-12. The seven-point halftime advantage also seemed larger after Mavunga picked up a third foul shortly after re-entering at 3:09.

Kent State re-established its 13-point lead early in the second half following a jumper by Carlton Guyton. The 6-4 junior guard was one of two Flashes to reach double figures. He added 14 markers to a team-high 23 by Sherman.

Miami, however, came roaring back with a 14-0 run to take a 47-46 lead after Williams scored on a fast break layup at 9:36.

From that point on until the final buzzer of regulation, the two teams stayed in quick striking distance. Neither squad led by more than three points and there were six ties.

After a Sherman layup with 59 seconds left put Kent State up 63-61, Miami called a time out. As the RedHawks discussed their options, Ford issued a key defensive instruction.

"We had it to a two-point lead with 42 seconds to go," he said.  "All we talked about in the time out was, ‘Do not give up a three.’ I didn’t care if they went in and dunked it on us. It didn’t matter. We (would) get the ball last."

But shortly after action resumed, Roberts hit Williams with a pass in the corner and Willams drained a three.
"Orlando had a miserable first half, but, boy, did he hit some big shots in the second half," Coles said.

A pair of free throws by Roberts with 20 seconds remaining put Miami up 66-63, but Sherman sent the game into overtime when his 3-point shot with eight seconds remaining hit the rim, bounced high into the air and fell down through the cylinder.

KSU had a 70-69 lead in the extra period before Miami made a 9-0 run. Sewell accounted for the final two at the line and added five more from the stripe as the RedHawks held off KSU for their second OT victory in three tries during the current campaign.

“You’ve got to give them credit. They played really well,” Ford said. “I’ll tell you, Mavunga had some big time offensive rebounds – put backs that really hurt us – and Winbush shot the lights out. They made enough plays that they deserved to win. That’s for sure.”

He continued, “You’ve got to give their kids and Charlie (Coles) a lot of credit, because I don’t know how many teams and how many programs could sustain losing an all-conference player (like) Ballard and having some other injuries … and still be all of a sudden 12 games into (the season) in first place.”

"We do need to improve in the technical areas, and hopefully we can ... (but) our guys are having fun, and they believe in themselves," Coles said. "That's worth a lot. I wouldn't trade that for anything. ... That's the most valuable thing a team can have - believing in each other, and right now they do."