MIAMI BASKETBALL

Miami streak reaches 20 with OT win over KSU

KENT, OH -- As Miami head coach Travis Steele is fond of saying --  Great teams find a way.. 

Steele's No. 25 RedHawks lived up to that sports maxim Tuesday by "finding a way" to win their second straight overtime challenge in three days. Peter Suder (27) and Eian Elmer (25), whose clutch shots lifted Miami past Buffalo last Saturday, led Miami with a combined 52 points as MU edged Kent State 107-101 at the M.A.C. Center. 

Playing its first game since joining the AP Top 25, MU (No. 25)  remained . . . 

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. . . perfect (20-0, 8-0 MAC) on the season, establishing a new MAC season-opening win streak. Kent State, meanwhile, fell to 14-5 overall (5-2 MAC). 

The RedHawks took an early lead and expanded their advantage to 14  (48-34) by intermission. However, after a Skaljac basket at 18:47, Kent State out-scored the visitors 25-9. Rob Whaley Jr.'s triple from the wing at 13:22 tied the contest at 59-all. 

Whaley, a 6-7, 289-pound grad forward, powered much of the Flashes rally and scored 11-straight KSU points during one second half stretch of just under five minutes. His team-high 27 points on the night was a career high, and he also pulled down 14 rebounds. 

Cian Medley, who had five points at intermission, also had a big second half and finished with 23 points. Morgan Safford, a former RedHawk (2023) tallied 18, while league-leading scorer Delrecco Gillespie contributed 17 points in 33 minutes. 

After a 65-65 tie, both teams held leads until a Medley triple put the Flashes in front 82-80 with 4:22 remaining. Although KSU tried to pull away, Miami managed to stay within two scores. 

A Suder basket with 41.7 seconds left pulled Miami within two at 92-90, but a Kent State miss at the other end resulted in a jump ball tie up. The arrow favored KSU,  so short of a steal, it appeared the RedHawks would have to foul. However, when KSU  inbounded the ball with 12.7 to go.  Miami's  defensive pressure on the entry pass resulted in a turnover as the ball went out of bounds. 

MU took over, and Luke Skaljac drove the length of the court. His layup attempt under heavy pressure went in, tying the game. Quinn Woidke's long three attempt with two seconds left missed, and the game went to overtime. 

Skaljac totaled 18 points on the night, equaling his season high several days earlier against Buffalo. It was his sixth game in double figures over the past seven outings. Meanwhile, Antwone Woolfolk (10 points) reached double figures for the seventh straight game. Brant Byers added 11 points. He has missed double figures in just two contests this season. 

As it had against Buffalo Saturday, MU built a six-point lead after play resumed. Elmer (2), Skaljac (3) and Suder (1) combined to put the RedHawks in front 98-92. 

Kent State managed to get within one (100-99) with a Safford and-one at 1:08, but Miami finished with a 7-2 run for the victory. 

"It was a great game . . . (in) an awesome environment," Kent State head coach Rob Senderhoff said. "Our guys played hard. They played hard (and) they made a couple plays down the stretch." 

NOTES
•  After back-to-back overtime games, Miami is off Saturday. The RedHawks host Massachusetts Tuesday and remain home for a Saturday (Jan. 31) matchup against Northern Illinois. 
Kent State visits Eastern Michigan Saturday (3:30 p.m., ESPN+).
•    In addition to his 27 points, Suder also recorded 10 rebounds. 
•  For the second straight game, Miami sputtered at the charity stripe. The RedHawks hit 22 of 34 attempts (64.7%). KSU went 25 of 31 (80.6%). 
•  MU had a 24-7 advantage in points off turnovers. 
•  It was not one of Miami's better nights from long distance (9 of 31, 29.0% on treys). Kent State connected on 10 of 30 (33.3%) outside the arc. 
•  Particularly in the second half, Whaley did major damage down low and in the paint. Still, Miami finished with a 48-42 edge on points in the paint. 
•  Whaley's 14 rebounds helped Kent State win the battle of the boards (46-31).