Peter Suder scored 19 and Brant Byers added 13 as No. 19 Miami (Ohio) overcame sloppiness throughout to outlast Toledo, 74-72, in Mid-American Conference play and remain as the nation’s only unbeaten team Tuesday night in Oxford, Ohio.
Antwone Woolfolk added 14 for Miami (30-0, 17-0), which committed 15 turnovers to just 12 assists on the night.
Leroy Blyden Jr. led the visitors with 21 points while Sonny Wilson added 13 for led Toledo (16-14, 10-7), which stayed close thanks to outscoring Miami 48-26 in the paint and holding a 17-7 advantage over Miami in points off turnovers.
Blyden’s mid-range jumper in the lane closed Miami’s lead to 72-70 with 1:01 remaining. But Luke Skaljac found a cutting Woolfolk to the basket for a layup just 21 seconds later.
Toledo’s Will James gathered a loose ball and put in a layup to cut the lead back to two, 74-72, with 24 seconds left. Byers missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw chance and Toledo had a chance to tie, but Blyden lost control of the ball in the paint with 0.1 seconds remaining to seal the win for Miami.
Both teams shot the ball well, with the RedHawks converting 50% (27 of 54) from the floor, while the Rockets countered at 47.8%% (32 of 67). Toledo enjoyed a slight edge on the boards, 35-31, but only attempted two free throws on the night.
Another sellout crowd of 10,640 packed Millett Hall on Senior Night for Miami’s final home game on the regular season schedule. The RedHawks finished the season a perfect 16-0 at home and extended their home winning streak to a program-record 31 straight.
Miami led wire-to-wire, despite Toledo drawing within one on four occasions. The RedHawks raced out to leads of 11-2, 20-8 and 26-14, but the Rockets trimmed the gap to 40-35 at the half.
Eian Elmer blocked a potential dunk at the rim by Austin Parks with 8:59 remaining in the game that would’ve given Toledo its first lead. Wilson had another chance to put the Rockets on top but missed a wide-open three on the next possession.
Another critical moment came two minutes later when, with Miami leading 61-58, Skaljac gathered in a loose ball and fed Suder who banked in a shot as the shot clock was expiring.
Miami opened up red-hot from beyond the arc, hitting six of their first 13 attempts from beyond the arc and building a 31-18 lead. Thanks to 11 first-half points from Blyden Jr., the Rockets mounted a rally to stay close.
Skaljac returned to the starting lineup for Miami after missing the Western Michigan game last Friday due to a right wrist injury. The point guard came out of the game briefly with 7:16 remaining in the first half, grabbing his left wrist, but returned two minutes later.
–Field Level Media
