Junior guard Eric Washington looks to feed a pass down low to freshman foward Logan McLane during Miami's 79-73 win over Ball State. Washington had 15 points and McLane had 11 in the win.
Photo by Lauren Olson, Photography Editor
By Jack Brewer, For The Miami Student
The Miami University men's basketball team overcame a 13-point second half deficit to capture its third win in Mid-American Conference play. The RedHawks knocked off Ball State University 79-73.
The RedHawks (8-13, 3-5 MAC) were led offensively by junior guard Eric Washington, who scored 15 points. Senior guard Will Sullivan and freshman forward Logan McLane contributed 13 and 11 points, respectively, as the other RedHawks to score double figures.
Ball State (7-12, 2-6 MAC) led by eight points at halftime, and scored the first five points of the half to jump out to a 43-30 lead. Sophomore forward Franko House and freshman forward Sean Sellers, who both tallied 15 points, led the Cardinals offensively. Despite shooting 58 percent from the field, the Cardinals were plagued by turnovers. Miami head coach John Cooper's defense was outstanding, forcing 17 Ball State turnovers, while the RedHawks coughed it up only eight times.
"I thought we had a number of guys that stepped up big," Cooper said. "Sully hit a big shot, Zach McCormick had a big five point stretch there, a big three. Eric made terrific plays, you know, I could go on and on. I thought Willie played well, and Chris Bryant played well and brought his energy."
Sullivan scored all of his 13 points in the last nine minutes of the game to spark a run for the RedHawks.
"It comes down to just being patient," Sullivan said. "Coach Cooper always talks to me about, you know, there's going to come a time where I might have a run of shots or a run of offense, and just kind of wait for that time to come."
This game marked the second victory in three games for the RedHawks, something the players believe could be a momentum boost for the team.
"You want to be able to say that you're clicking late, and I think that we're starting to get near turning the corner," Sullivan said. "We're not there yet, but we're starting to get near turning the corner. For a lot of young guys that come from the junior college level, to pull out a game like this where it's close late and get a win, it's huge for confidence. Hopefully we can let this snowball into Wednesday."
The RedHawks are back in Millett Hall Feb. 4 against Northern Illinois University, with tip off set for 7 p.m. This marks the second meeting between the two teams, with the RedHawks claiming a 60-55 victory in the first meeting Jan. 24.