MIAMI BASKETBALL

Elmer's big game helps Miami fight off Minutemen

Eian Elmer's 30 points led the RedHawks to their 21st straight victory. (MVSmith/MRO)

By MIKE SMITH
OXFORD, OH -- Eian Elmer exploded for 30 points and No. 24 Miami (21-0, 9-0 MAC) added 28 points at the foul line as the RedHawks came from behind to defeat Massachusetts 86-84 Tuesday at Millett Hall. 

​With the victory, MU continued its history season-opening win streak -- now at 21 wins. It is also alone atop Mid-American Conference standings, with the RedHawks registering their ninth straight league win.  UMass, which had won four of its last five, fell to 13-9 overall and 4-6 MAC). 

Despite bitter cold temperatures outside and a 9 p.m. start time, students returning from Holiday break packed the facility for a nationally televised contest. The "pajama night" crowd of 9,223 ranked 10th in Millett Hall history. 

"The students were elite," Miami head coach Travis Steele said.  "They were loud. They propelled us, quite honestly. ... I thought our students were the difference in the game."

While the . . . 

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Brant Byers pulls Miami within two with a first half dunk. (MVSmith/MRO)

. . . crowd was vocal from pregame to finish, UMass quickly moved in front and led for a total of just over 30  minutes. 

K'jei Parker's triple at 11:44 of the first half gave the visitors a nine-point edge (22-13). Miami pulled within two on a couple occasions, but UMass worked its advantage up to 10 following a Leonardo Bettiol layup with 2:04 left. 

Miami, which was playing without guard Luke Skaljac (illness), then put together an 8-2 run. A pair of late Kirby free throws left MU with a 47-43 deficit at intermission. 

Led by Marcus Banks (13 first half points) Massachusetts connected on 54.5 percent from the field overall and made 7 of 11 (65%)  treys before intermission. The RedHawks, meanwhile, hit 51.9 percent from the field and 6 of 17 (36.3%) from long distance. 

"The first half was bad. We let things get loose, Steele said. "Banks obviously had a huge first half. (He) got some good looks, and he is an elite scorer." 

Miami improved in several areas after the break. 

"They had nine offensive rebounds in the first half, and they finished with 12. ...   "I thought we were a little bit better with our post defense, as well," Steele said, adding,  "We've still got a lot of areas to clean up on defense."

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Brant Byers fires s pass during second half action. (MVSmith/MRO)

Peter Suder fell just short of a double-double with 13 points and nine assists. With Luke Skaljac ill and unavailable, Suder was a critical component in Miami's offense against a tough Minutemen defense. (MVSmith/MRO)

MU finally caught the Minutemen at 9:26 of the second period after two Peter Suder free throws, and the teams traded small leads after that. 

Miami finally moved in front (77-75) for good with Antwone Woolfolk's and-one  at 4:19. Although MU would make just one more field goal after that, it added nine points at the free throw line.
"They are just so physical," said Steele, noting Frank Martin-coached teams are always tough. "We knew we were going to have our hands full."

"They deny and they pressure the entire game. They make every catch contested and hard. They're probably different than every other team our league. Sometimes you just have to play north and south. You've got to drive the ball. You've got to be strong ... and play through bumps. I thought our guys did a good job of that. They were using their aggressiveness against them. ... With a team like that, they create the advantage for you if you can handle . . . (the pressure) once you get into the paint."

An Elmer free throw at 2:23 gave Miami its biggest lead (82-75) . However, UMass chipped away with the help of eight free throws down the stretch. Parker's three charity tosses with eight seconds left cut MU's lead to one. 

When Miami got the inbounds to Suder, UMass fouled. Suder made one of two, but a desperation Minutemen half-court heave at the buzzer was off target. 

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Antwone Woolfolk battles a pair of Minutemen players for a loose ball. ((MVS,ith/MRO)

Freshman Justin Kirby contributed 13 points and seven rebounds while playing nearly 35 minutes. (MVSmith/MRO)

NOTES: 
•  The RedHawks return to action Saturday against Northern Illinois. The Huskies are 7-13 overall (3-6 MAC), with the most recent outing being an 85-65 drubbing of Western Michigan. The Two other MAC wins were over UMass (70-68) and Central Michigan (74-73). 
Saturday's Miami-NIU is the second part of a mens-women's double-header, with an approximate start time of 3:30 p.m. The game, which is part of the One Miami event, is sold out to the general public. If students make another strong showing, MU could once again challenge Millet's attendance record book. 
With snow in parts of the West Lot and a large crowd expected, fans may be wise to embrace an early arrival strategy. Miami's women's team (17-4, 9-0 MAC) is also having a VERY strong year and leads the MAC. 
•   Miami used just seven players, with six scoring points. Joining Elmer (30) in double figures were Suder (13, 9 assists), Justin Kirby (13 points, 7 rebounds), and Brant Byers (12 points). Woolfolk and Almar Atlason added nine points apiece.
With Skaljac unavailable, Steele told Elmer he would have to "handle the ball a little mit more than he normally does." He also advised Elmer he would need to be "uber-aggressive. 
"There was more on Eian's shoulders, and he's built for it," Steele said. "He never lost confidence (even after) he missed his first couple shots. He just stuck with it. He's a tremendous shooter. He rebounds the ball. He defends. He's able to get to the free throw line. He had an incredible game."
•    Steele had predicted a very physical contest, and UMass didn't disappoint. The Minutemen frequently employed some level of full court pressure, as some teams do while trying to slow down MU's offense. When Miami did reach the front court, UMass turned up the defense. 
For the evening, Miami connected on 24 of 51 field goal attempts. The Minutemen hit 31 of 61. 
•   MU had one more 3-point goal, but scored on 10 of 29 attempts (34.5%). UMass made 9 of 21 (42.9%) tries from beyond the arc. 
•   Rebounds were nearly even, with the Minutemen grabbing two more boards (34-32) Massachusetts  out-scored Miami 34-26 in the paint.  "UMass is one of the top 20 defensive rebounding teams in the country. I thought we really got on the glass," Steele said. 
•   Betttiol led UMass with 22 points and 16 rebounds. Banks (18), Daniel Hankins-Sanford (16) and Parker (10) were also in double figures. 

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