The RedHawks built a 19-point lead before settling for an 83-76 victory Tuesday.
“That first half was eerily similar to me to our second half against Toledo — just emotionally, it looked like we were zapped,” said coach Clint Sargent, whose team built a 39-34 halftime lead against the Rockets but fell at home, 81-71.
“We were searching, just trying to find who was emotionally ready to play. Give Miami a lot of credit. They dictated the game with their offense. They drove us and really exploited any mistake we made.”
The Raiders (5-7) were gashed by repeated drives and open 3’s. The RedHawks, now 11-0 and off to their best start in school history, made 22 of their first 33 shots, going 9 of 14 on 3’s, in snapping a six-game losing streak in the series.
Michael Cooper scored the last five points of the first half (two foul shots, a steal and a 3 at the buzzer), cutting the deficit to 46-34 and bringing some life into the building.
But the onslaught didn’t stop, prompting Sargent to burn a timeout in frustration at 16:02 with the gap growing and shoulders slumping.
“We just weren’t playing defense, that’s what it is — simple,” said Michael Imariagbe, who had 16 points and seven rebounds. “We just weren’t ready to play defense and to play in general.”
“I feel like it started with our guard play,” said Cooper, who finished with 21 points. “We couldn’t keep the ball out of the paint, and it was just kick out after kick out for open 3’s.
“They were still in shoot-around (mode) — just catch-and-shoot 3’s. That’s what’s going to happen — they were 8 for 13 in the first half. It’s going to be very hard for us to win with that, especially against a 10-0 team.”
But the Raiders showed a pulse midway through the second half.
Trailing 64-45 with 15 minutes to go, they went on a 15-2 run, cutting the deficit to 66-59 on Imariagbe’s bucket with 10:40 left.
The score stayed that way for the next three minutes. Miami then broke the drought and pushed the lead back to double digits.
Forward Brant Byers, the MAC freshman of the year last season, was a matchup migraine. He had 20 of his 27 points in the first half, making his first five 3’s.
The RedHawks finished 10 of 19 from the arc and 28 of 51 from the field (54.9%).
The Raiders started 0 of 10 on 3’s and finished 3 of 21. They were 27 of 63 overall (42.9%).
Sargent credited fourth-year Miami coach Travis Steele for reviving the program. But he also was flummoxed by the malaise he saw around him.
The Raiders had dropped two of their previous three games by a combined three points and are 0-3 against the MAC.
“Frustrating for sure — when we felt like we were playing well. It was hard to lose those games, and then when you show up on a night like tonight with a great crowd (4,892), which I’m very appreciative of, and then not showing better for this game, it hurts,” he said.
“But like a lot of this journey, you’ve got to choose to stay encouraged, even though it absolutely breaks you every time you lose. And that’s what we’ll do.”
NEXT GAME
Who: Eastern Michigan at Wright State
When: 7 p.m. Monday
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 1410-AM, 101.5-FM
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