2008 Woodie Awards
Miami unable to finish off Flyers, lose 63-62
Ben Garbarek
Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: Sports
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Miami led the first 39:55 of its home contest, but it was the final five seconds that doomed the RedHawks as the Flyers escaped with the win Wednesday night.
Dayton guard Brian Roberts drove a dagger into the hearts of an electric Millett Hall with an NBA-range 3-point bomb to win the game.
"I've never made a bigger shot in my career," Roberts said. "I knew I was going to be the one to take that shot."
After being down big early, the Flyers knew they had gotten lucky.
"We're very fortunate to leave here with a win," Dayton Head Coach Brian Gregory said.
As Dayton rushed the court at the buzzer, Miami was left shell-shocked.
"This is right at the top of the toughest losses (in my career)," junior forward Michael Bramos said.
"It stings."
Miami Head Coach Charlie Coles said this would be a hard loss to get over.
"I don't want to give them credit," Coles said. "But I got to give them credit … this is a heartbreaking loss, I don't know how you get this out of your mind."
It was a tale of two halves Wednesday night. The 'Hawks soared during the first half, jumping out to an early 20-2 lead and taking a 15-point advantage into the locker room at halftime, only to see the Flyers take off in the second half.
After a successful third place finish in the Anaheim Classic, Bramos carried over his hot play over Thanksgiving and put Miami in the driver's seat early on.
Bramos scored at will from long range, netting 25 first-half points thanks to seven 3-point field goals.
"They were giving me a lot of open shots," Bramos said. "I was just taking what they were giving me."
Bramos finished the game with a career-high 36 points and nine 3-pointers, one 3-point field goal shy of the Miami record.
While Miami seemed poised for an easy victory, Dayton kept themselves within striking distance and chipped away at the RedHawks lead throughout the second half.
The Flyers shut down the red-hot Miami offense during the second half, holding it scoreless for more than 11 minutes.
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