MIAMI BASKETBALL

Byers career-high leads MU to win over Raiders

Eleventh straight win is new season-opening record

By MIKE SMITH
DAYTON, OH  -- Brant Byers erupted for a career-high  27 points while the Miami RedHawks posted a school record 11th straight win to start the season as MU defeated Wright State 83-76 Tuesday at the Ervin J. Nutter Center.
The Raiders have been a thorn in Miami's non-conference schedule, winning the last six meetings. However, the RedHawks grabbed an early lead and shot 59 percent from the field (62% from beyond the arc) while building up a 46-34 halftime advantage. 
Byers did much of . . .

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. . . the damage, connecting on all six field goal attempts. Four were from long distance. In fact, his only misses came at the charity stripe, where he went 4 of 7 before intermission. 

As well as Miami shot (including 8 of 13 on treys), it might have enjoyed an even larger lead were it not for WSU's success inside. Wright State out-scored the RedHawks 24-10 in the paint and owned an 8-0 edge in offensive rebounds. 

The hosts also registered five steals, with the final grab leading to Wright State's only 3-point goal of the half -- a 25-foot shot by Michael Cooper just before the buzzer. 

The Raiders were 1-of-11 on treys before intermission. While it wasn't much better in the final period (2 of 10), WSU eventually made a run at Miami, who also connected on just two triples after intermission. The teams were also identical in field goals, with MU recording just one more bucket.

Where the Raiders gained ground was at the line. Wright State hit 12 of 14 free throws in the second half. Miami went 5 of 12. 

Miami was up 66-49 following Evan Ipsaro's basket at 14:48. It was, however, MU's last points for almost seven minutes. During the drought, Wright State ran off 11 points to pull within seven at 66-59 with 10:35 remaining. 

Almar Atlason, who played just nine minutes in the first half after drawing three fouls, finally got the RedHawks offense back on track with a driving layup at 7:53. 

After a pair of Raider free throws, Atlason responded twice - first with a free throw and then with a dunk. A Byers free throw and Ipsaro layup pushed the lead back up to 13 points with 4:03 left. Wright State was unable to get closer than the final seven-point difference