MIAMI BASKETBALL

​Tough MU road trip begins with loss to Buckeyes

COLUMBUS, OH -- Darweshi Hunter scored 15 points to lead Miami, but the RedHawks fell to Ohio State 84-64 Wednesday night at Value City Arena.
With the loss, Miami fell to 4-4 on the campaign, while OSU moved to 8-1 (1-0 Big Ten) with its seventh straight win. It's only loss was to No. 15 Texas A&M back on Nov. 10.
Ryan Mabry (13) and Jaquel Morris (11) also helped lead MU's offense, but Ohio State placed six players in double figures. The Buckeyes had a 40-20 edge on rebounds and hit 19 of 25 free throw opportunities. Miami sank 9 of 11 chances. 
Ohio State was also able to take advantage of 17 RedHawk turnovers, turning them into 25 points. 

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How it Happened:
Darweshi Hunter recorded the first points of the night from behind the arc to give the RedHawks a 3-0 lead. A Morris offensive rebound led to a dunk to remain ahead 5-2. The RedHawks led 7-6 heading into the first media timeout with 15:56 to play in the first half. Morris threaded a bounce pass to Evan Ipsaro who put in a layup to remain ahead 9-6. Ohio State took its first lead of the night at 10-9 with 14:31 on the game clock.

Miami regained the advantage at 13-12 after Bryce Bultman knocked down a shot in the paint. The Buckeyes went on a 9-0 run to make the score 21-13 under 10 minutes to play. 

Hunter put in a jump shot and Morris grabbed a putback layup to keep Miami within seven at 24-17. The Buckeyes took their first double-digit lead of the game at 28-17. Five minutes remained before intermission when Ryan Mabrey responded by scoring a jumper from the free-throw line to bring the score to 28-19. The Buckeyes once again found their rhythm, stretching the score to 37-21. The RedHawks entered the intermission trailing 39-26. 

Morris put in the first bucket of the second half with a jumper, and Mabrey followed up with a three to make it 41-31. Reece Potter scored a hook shot and putback layup to keep the RedHawks in it at 56-41 with 12:39 left in the game.
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6:36 was left on the scoreboard when Morris was fouled and recorded the traditional three-point play to cut OSU's lead to 66-47. After Ohio State took its largest lead of the night with five minutes to go, Mabrey and Hunter put in a pair of shots from downtown on back-to-back possessions. The Buckeyes closed out the game to secure their seventh consecutive victory.

 Notes:
-- Miami travels to take on Davidson Saturday, Dec. 9 at 2 p.m.
-- Morris posted career highs in rebounds (10) and assists (four).
-- Evan Ipsaro set a new career high in rebounds with five.
-- Miami shot 50% or better from the three-point line for the second consecutive game, finishing 7-12 behind the arc.
-- Freshman center Reece Potter saw his first action since the season opener and scored six points.