Ohio's Armon Bassett (0) and Miami of Ohio's Nick Winbush collide under the basket in the first half of a semifinal round NCAA college basketball game at the Mid-American Conference tournament Friday, March 12, 2010, in Cleveland.

CLEVELAND — Armon Bassett scored 28 points and DeVaughn Washington added 18 as ninth-seeded Ohio [...]]]> Associated Press

Ohio's Armon Bassett (0) and Miami of Ohio's Nick Winbush collide under the basket in the first half of a semifinal round NCAA college basketball game at the Mid-American Conference tournament Friday, March 12, 2010, in Cleveland.

CLEVELAND — Armon Bassett scored 28 points and DeVaughn Washington added 18 as ninth-seeded Ohio advanced to the final of the Mid-American Conference tournament by beating cold-shooting Miami (Ohio) 54-42 in the semifinals Friday night.

The Bobcats (20-14), who upset top-seeded Kent State in the quarterfinals, will meet third-seeded Akron in Saturday’s championship. The winner gets the MAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Akron won both regular-season matchups between the schools.

Bassett, who made his way to Ohio after stops at Indiana and Alabama-Birmingham, scored six straight points during a 13-2 burst in the second half when the Bobcats put away the RedHawks (14-18).

Ohio is in the final for the first time since winning the tourney title in 2005.

Kenny Hayes scored 12 for fourth-seeded Miami, which shot 35 percent from the floor and scored 12 points in the first half.

Julian Mavunga 17 Pts, 3 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk in victory over Buffalo

OXFORD, Ohio — Julian Mavunga and Kenny Hayes each scored 17 points to lead Miami (Ohio) to a 73-62 victory over Buffalo on Thursday night.

The RedHawks (13-17, 9-7 Mid-American Conference) had lost four of five but shot [...]]]> Associated Press

Julian Mavunga 17 Pts, 3 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk in victory over Buffalo

OXFORD, Ohio — Julian Mavunga and Kenny Hayes each scored 17 points to lead Miami (Ohio) to a 73-62 victory over Buffalo on Thursday night.

The RedHawks (13-17, 9-7 Mid-American Conference) had lost four of five but shot 50 percent from the field (26 of 52) and blocked nine shots to send Buffalo (17-11, 9-7) to just its second loss in eight games.

Miami opened the second half on a 12-6 run to take a 45-35 lead on Kramer Soderberg’s 3-pointer with 14:43 to play. Mavunga scored the first five points of the run.

Mitchell Watt and Rodney Pierce combined for five straight points to cut the deficit to 45-40, but the RedHawks then went on an 11-0 run to take a 56-40 lead on Hayes’ layup with 8:48 remaining.

Antonio Ballard had 13 points and nine rebounds for Miami.

Watt finished with 17 points and Pierce added 16 for Buffalo. Calvin Betts had 12 rebounds for the Bulls.

KENT, Ohio — Justin Greene scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Kent State beat Miami (Ohio) 66-58 on Saturday night.

The Golden Flashes (22-8, 12-3 Mid-American Conference) have won four in a row and face Akron on March 5 with the MAC East Division regular season title on the line. Both teams [...]]]> Associated Press

KENT, Ohio — Justin Greene scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Kent State beat Miami (Ohio) 66-58 on Saturday night.

The Golden Flashes (22-8, 12-3 Mid-American Conference) have won four in a row and face Akron on March 5 with the MAC East Division regular season title on the line. Both teams are 12-3 in the conference.

Frank Henry-Ala added 12 points, and Anthony Simpson and Chris Singleton each had 11 for the Golden Flashes.

Kent State turned the ball over only four times but scored 13 points off 12 Miami miscues. The Golden Flashes led by 10 in the first half but Miami tied the game 41-41 with 14 minutes remaining. The Golden Flashes went on an 8-0 run to lead 49-41 after a Henry-Ala layup with 7:08 to play. Miami could get no closer than four points the rest of the way.

Julian Mavunga scored 17 points, Kenny Hayes had 15 and Nick Winbush 13 for Miami (12-17, 8-7). 

The 185th Battle of the Bricks was settled on Wednesday night when Tommy Freeman (Muncie, Ind.) hit a 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds left to give Ohio University a 70-68 victory over Miami.

ATHENS, Ohio — Tommy Freeman hit a 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds left to give Ohio University a 70-68 victory over [...]]]> Associated Press

The 185th Battle of the Bricks was settled on Wednesday night when Tommy Freeman (Muncie, Ind.) hit a 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds left to give Ohio University a 70-68 victory over Miami.

ATHENS, Ohio — Tommy Freeman hit a 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds left to give Ohio University a 70-68 victory over Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday night.

DeVaughn Washington tied his career high with 25 points for the Bobcats (6-13, 6-8 Mid-American Conference) and Freeman scored 19 points, going 6-for-8 on 3-pointers.

The RedHawks (12-16, 8-6), who led by as many as 10 points in the first half and 28-22 at halftime, had regained a 67-66 lead with 9 seconds left on a jumper by Kenny Hayes.

Hayes scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half.

Washington scored a layup and four free throws for Ohio, which had come back to lead 66-65 after trailing 64-59 with 1:53 left.

Both teams shot well in the second half, with Ohio at 57.1 percent (16-for-28) and Miami at 63.6 percent (14-for-22). But the Bobcats were more effective on 3-pointers, going 5-for-8 in the second half to Miami’s 1-for-5.

Four RedHawks score in double digits as Miami Ohio defeats SEMO 69-53

OXFORD, Ohio – Miami University’s men’s basketball team topped Southeast Missouri State 69-53 in the ESPN BracketBuster Saturday afternoon at Millett Hall. Junior guard/forward Antonio Ballard, freshman guard Orlando Williams, sophomore forward/center Julian Mavunga and senior guard Kenny Hayes all scored [...]]]> Associated Press

Four RedHawks score in double digits as Miami Ohio defeats SEMO 69-53

OXFORD, Ohio – Miami University’s men’s basketball team topped Southeast Missouri State 69-53 in the ESPN BracketBuster Saturday afternoon at Millett Hall. Junior guard/forward Antonio Ballard, freshman guard Orlando Williams, sophomore forward/center Julian Mavunga and senior guard Kenny Hayes all scored in double-digits, while junior forward Nick Winbush grabbed 13 rebounds, scored eight points and blocked three shots to lead the RedHawks.

SEMO scored the game’s first points on a short jumper, but Miami came back down with consecutive 3-pointers by Hayes and freshman guard Allen Roberts to take a 6-2 lead. SEMO answered with a trey of its own to cut it to 6-5.

The visiting Redhawks hung with Miami for much of the first half, pulling within 26-24 with five minutes remaining in the half before the Red and White pulled away.

Miami used a 9-0 run to close the first-half and open up a 35-24 lead heading into the locker room. Ballard scored five of his seven first-half points in the run.

Mavunga led the way in the first-half with eight points and three rebounds, while Winbush added four points, seven rebounds and all three of his blocks. SEMO’s Marland Smith led all scorers in the half with 14.

Ballard opened the second-half by draining a trey to push the Miami run to 12-0. The visiting Redhawks answered with an 8-2 run that closed the gap to 40-32, but SEMO would get no closer.

Miami built a 24-point lead over the next 11 minutes. The hometown RedHawks connected on four shots from beyond the arc, including two by Williams.

Reserve forwards redshirt freshman Vince Legarza and sophomore Adam Thomas added three and two points, respectively, in the final two-minutes of action. Ballard finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, shooting 4-of-7 from the field. Mavunga and Williams each scored 11 and Hayes added 10. SEMO’s Smith was the game’s leading scorer with 28 points.

Miami travels to Athens on Wednesday, Feb. 24 to take on rival Ohio at 7 p.m.

Senior guard Kenny Hayes led Miami with a game-high 16 points (10 in the second half) while also grabbing six boards and senior center Adam Fletcher chipped in 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting.

OXFORD, Ohio — Brett McKnight scored 13 points and Akron held off Miami of Ohio in a 61-56 win on [...]]]> Associated Press

Senior guard Kenny Hayes led Miami with a game-high 16 points (10 in the second half) while also grabbing six boards and senior center Adam Fletcher chipped in 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting.

OXFORD, Ohio — Brett McKnight scored 13 points and Akron held off Miami of Ohio in a 61-56 win on Wednesday night, maintaining its share of the Mid-American Conference’s top spot.

Chris McKnight, Brett’s brother, had 12 points for the Zips (20-7, 10-3), who are tied with Kent State in the conference standings. With the loss, the RedHawks (11-15, 8-5) fell two games behind Akron.

Allen Roberts’ three-point play put Miami ahead 50-49 with 4:41 left in the second half. But Chris McKnight, who went 5-for-8 from the floor, answered with a layup 20 seconds later to give the Zips the lead for good.

Kenny Hayes led the RedHawks with 16 points, Adam Fletcher had 12 points, and Julian Mavunga added eight points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

Akron won despite shooting 41.5 percent from the floor (22-for-53) compared to the RedHawks, who shot 42.3 percent (22-for-52).

Falcons Use 14-Point Second Half Start To Derail Miami 67-64

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Erik Marschall scored 17 points and Bowling Green rallied to defeat Miami (Ohio) 67-64 on Sunday.

The Falcons (13-11, 6-6 Mid-American Conference) trailed 33-27 at halftime, but shot 56.5 percent from the field in the second half (13 of 23), [...]]]> Associated Press

Falcons Use 14-Point Second Half Start To Derail Miami 67-64

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Erik Marschall scored 17 points and Bowling Green rallied to defeat Miami (Ohio) 67-64 on Sunday.

The Falcons (13-11, 6-6 Mid-American Conference) trailed 33-27 at halftime, but shot 56.5 percent from the field in the second half (13 of 23), ending the Red Hawks’ five-game winning streak.

Bowling Green scored the first 14 points after halftime, building a 41-33 lead on Joe Jakubowski’s 3 with 15:23 to play.

The Red Hawks (11-14, 8-4) reclaimed the lead, 49-47, on Julian Mavunga’s jumper with 8:57 remaining and built it to four on Adam Fletcher’s jumper less than a minute later.

After a Dee Brown 3 and a Miami turnover, Marschall’s layup gave Bowling Green the lead for good, 52-51, with 6:11 left.

The Falcons sealed the win with an 8 of 10 effort from the foul line in the final minute.

Nick Winbush had a double-double for Miami with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Four Miami U. players scored in the double-digits to help net the Redhawks their fifth victory in a row against the Toledo Rockets on Wednesday night, Feb. 10.

OXFORD, Ohio — Kenny Hayes scored 14 points and Anthony Ballard 13 to lead Miami (Ohio), which came on strong in the second half for [...]]]> Associated Press

Four Miami U. players scored in the double-digits to help net the Redhawks their fifth victory in a row against the Toledo Rockets on Wednesday night, Feb. 10.

OXFORD, Ohio — Kenny Hayes scored 14 points and Anthony Ballard 13 to lead Miami (Ohio), which came on strong in the second half for a 55-47 victory over Toledo on Wednesday night.

The RedHawks (11-13, 8-3 Mid-American Conference), who moved into a tie with idle Akron for second in the league’s East Division, a game behind Kent State, trailed 21-18 after a first half in which they shot 32 percent (8-for-25).

Miami found the range in the second, however, shooting 68.8 percent (11-for-16) to get past the Rockets (3-22, 0-11). Ballard made all four of his second-half shots.

Justin Anyijong led the Rockets with 16 points, 13 in the first half, but he was 0-for-4 from the field in the second.

After a first half in which neither team made a free throw, with Miami missing the only two attempts awarded, the RedHawks were 14-for-22 from the line in the second half and Toledo 9-for-10.

Four RedHawks scored in double figures Saturday afternoon, including sophomore forward Julian Mavunga, who recorded his sixth double-double of the year, as the Miami University men's basketball team knocked off Northern Illinois, 74-69, at the Convocation Center to pick up its fourth straight win and second on the road.

DeKALB, Ill. — Kenny [...]]]> Associated Press

Four RedHawks scored in double figures Saturday afternoon, including sophomore forward Julian Mavunga, who recorded his sixth double-double of the year, as the Miami University men's basketball team knocked off Northern Illinois, 74-69, at the Convocation Center to pick up its fourth straight win and second on the road.

DeKALB, Ill. — Kenny Hayes had 22 points and Julian Mavunga added 13 points and 11 rebounds to lead Miami (Ohio) to a 74-69 victory at Northern Illinois on Saturday.

Nick Winbush had 17 points and Antonio Ballard 12 for the RedHawks (10-13, 7-3 MAC).

Darian Anderson had 16 points and Xavier Silas 13 for Northern Illinois (8-14, 4-6).

Miami shot a season-high 63.2 percent (12 of 19) from 3-point range and held off the Huskies after they rallied to tie the game at 57-57 with seven minutes remaining. Northern Illinois trailed by 18 points at halftime.

Senior guard Kenny Hayes nailed a jumper just before the buzzer to give Miami its first road win of the season.

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Kenny Hayes hit a long jump shot with less than a second remaining Thursday to give Miami, Ohio a 56-54 victory over Western Michigan.

Hayes finished with 16 points and [...]]]> Associated Press

Senior guard Kenny Hayes nailed a jumper just before the buzzer to give Miami its first road win of the season.

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Kenny Hayes hit a long jump shot with less than a second remaining Thursday to give Miami, Ohio a 56-54 victory over Western Michigan.

Hayes finished with 16 points and five assists for the RedHawks (9-13, 6-3 Mid-American). Julian Mavunga added 14 points and seven rebounds, while Antonio Ballard had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

David Kool led Western Michigan (12-10, 4-5) with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Martelle McLemore added 17 points.

Kool gave the Broncos a 54-52 lead on a jump shot with 1:20 remaining before Antonio Ballard hit two free throws with 1:01 left to tie it back up for the RedHawks. Kool had two more chances to take the lead, but he missed from outside, grabbed his own rebound and missed again at the 0:40 mark, setting up Miami’s final possession.

Neither team shot well, with Miami hitting 36.7 percent from the field and Western Michigan 34 percent.