MIAMI BASKETBALL

Bronco 'bigs' elevate WMU over Miami

Mirambeaux scores game-high 20 points for MU

Ryan Mabry puts up a shot along the baseline. (MVSmith/MRO)

By MIKE SMITH
​OXFORD, OH -- Visiting Western Michigan dominated the boards and scoring inside to down Miami 83-74 Tuesday at Millett Hall.
Guards Seth Hubbard (17) and B. Artis White may have led Bronco scoring, but Western Michigan (4-9 (1-0 MAC) did much of its damage inside. Buoyed by the recent addition of former Texas A&M center Javonte Brown, the Broncos out-rebounded MU 40-27. The 7.0-footer registered five rebounds and three blocks hitting 4 of 5 shots from the field and scoring 12 points. 

"You can throw the (non-conference) record out the window," Miami Head Coach Travis Steele said of WMU. "They got … Javonte Brown eligible with the NCAA changing the rule mid-year. (It) changes their team in a big, big, big way -- just his size. On both ends of the floor, I thought he really impacted the game." 

Two other Bronco front line players -- both 6-8 -- combined for 17 rebounds and 16 points as WMU outscored Miami 20-3 on second chance points and 38-28 in the paint. "They're big. They're physical. They play hard," Steele said. 

Miami (6-7, 0-1 MAC) center Anderson Mirambeaux, who battled foul trouble but . . .

---

​. . . finished with four fouls, scored a game-high 20 points while playing just under 23 minutes. Bryson Bultman (15) and Darweshi Hunter (10) also reached double figures, with the latter hitting both his field goals and all 10 of his points in the first half.

Bryson Bultman made 7 of 8 shots from the field on the way to 15 points. (MVSmith/MRO)

Although MU lost starting center Jaquel Morris (injury) less than three minutes into the game, the RedHawks led for nearly 11 minutes. The visitors, who outscored MU 8-0 on second chance points before intermission, moved in front for good on a Burton layup at 2:30, and Western Michigan took a 44-41 lead to intermission. 

Seven straight Bronco points to start the second stanza pushed their lead to 10 points. While Miami got as close as four, Western Michigan expanded its lead to a game-high 12 points after two Owen Lobsinger free throws at 7:52. 

The RedHawks got as close as five points three times after that, the last being (75-70) at 2:07 on a Bultman drive. However, WMU, which started shooting bonus free throws with over 13 minutes remaining, scored six of its last eight points at the line. Miami managed just four points -- all free throws -- in the last two minutes.

---

---

WMU GAME STORY HERE