Established 1826 — Oldest College Newspaper West of the Alleghenies

RedHawks fall 62-61 to EMU in OT thriller

By Jack Brewer, The Miami Student

Miami University men's basketball dropped an overtime showdown to Eastern Michigan University in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament Monday night.

Miami led by 12 points in the second half with 9:03 to go, but failed to make another field goal as Eastern Michigan (20-12, 8-10 MAC) chipped away at the deficit to force the overtime period. Sophomore guard Raven Lee hit a 3-pointer for the Eagles with 14 seconds left to send the game into overtime. The RedHawks (13-19, 8-10 MAC) were outscored 8-7 in the extra frame.

A layup from freshman forward Logan McLane put the 'Hawks in a 61-60 lead with 52 seconds left in the overtime period. On the next possession, the Eagles came down the floor and made a layup with 36 seconds remaining for the game-winning basket.

Junior guard Willie Moore and freshman guard Zach McCormick paced the RedHawks offensively. Moore led the team with 17 points, and McCormick followed suit with 12 points.

"I thought our kids just really did a good job of fighting and just trying to find a way, especially after coming off the loss we had at OU," head coach John Cooper said after the game. "To come back and be mentally locked in against obviously a very tough Eastern Michigan zone and being able to execute some different things."

Lee led all players with 19 points while hitting seven of his 15 shots from the field.

Senior guard Will Sullivan played his final game as a Miami RedHawk, tying a Miami record for career appearances with 124.

"You want a kid to give every ounce, and he didn't leave anything in the tank," Cooper said. "When that kid walks away and looks back on his career, he'll never, ever have to say to himself that 'I wish I would've or could've.' He doesn't have to do that. He will be sorely and greatly missed."

Miami's season concludes with the ousting from the MAC tournament. The Eagles advance to the MAC Tournament quarterfinals after beating Bowling Green State University Wednesday night.