Kent State University
10-519-9; MAC
Miami University (OH)
7-812-16; MAC
Men's Basketball falls in OT at Miami, 86-81
2/24/2015 10:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball
OXFORD, Ohio – Kent State watched a 19-point lead with 8:21 to play in the second half slip away as Miami University battled back for an 86-81 overtime victory at Millett Hall that kept the Golden Flashes from capturing their 20th win of the season.
The Golden Flashes (19-9, 10-5) dropped out of the overall Mid-American Conference lead and back into a tie with Bowling Green for first place in the East Division.
For the third time this season, Miami (12-16, 7-8) battled back from a double-digit deficit in the second half. The RedHawks also captured their fourth victory in a row and second straight in overtime.
"We have to learn how to close out games," said Kent State head coach Rob Senderoff. "You work so hard to build a lead like that in the second half, and you have to close it out in the last eight minutes. But we can't hold our head down. We have three more games coming up to close the regular season. We have to learn from this one and get ourselves mentally ready to play Buffalo at home on Saturday."
Jimmy Hall was the best player on the floor for most of the night, scoring 24 points while going 9-for-15 from the field with five rebounds before fouling out late in the second half. Hall scored 15 points in the first half as the Flashes took a 38-30 lead into the break.
Will Sullivan and Jaryd Eustace hit transition threes for Miami in the final minute and the RedHawks' Geovonie McKnight drove coast-to-coast after a missed free throw to tie the game at 77-77 with 1.2 seconds to play and force overtime.
"We gave up too many transition points in the last two minutes, including those two threes," said Senderoff. "And then we let McKnight go right to the basket at the end of regulation. Give them a lot of credit."
Eric Washington matched Hall with 24 points, shooting just 6-of-15 from the floor, but making 12-of-18 from the charity stripe.
Miami stayed within striking distance in the first half thanks to 23 free throw attempts in the first 20 minutes. The RedHawks were 34-of-44 from the line in the foul-plagued game. Kent State converted 23-of-34 from the foul line.
Kent State shot just 1-for-6 from the field in overtime. The Flashes also lost their best defender early in the extra session when Derek Jackson fouled out.
Devareaux Manley and Kris Brewer added 14 points each for Kent State. Manley's night included a record-breaking shot as the senior established a new school mark for three-pointers in a season. His three-pointer with 15:57 to play in the second half gave him 90 on the year, breaking the record set by Randal Holt in 2012-13. His 4-for-7 night from three-point range pushed the record to 92.
Chris Ortiz added 13 points and 11 rebounds, helping Kent State win the rebounding battle 40-34.
Kent State also claimed a 36-32 advantage in the paint along with 10-2 in second-chance scoring. The downfall came in transition, where Miami outscored the Flashes 22-0.
Sullivan finished with 16 points for Miami while McKnight chipped in 14 and Willie Moore came off the bench with 12 points.
