Miami Falls to 5-3 After Road Loss to Indiana
By: Jack Mueller
(All Photos Courtesy of Miami Athletics)
BLOOMINGTON - For the first 30 minutes of Friday night’s game between Indiana and Miami, there was an upset watch in effect, but a late scoring run from the Hoosiers ensured that they would leave as victors. Mike Woodson’s Indiana team defeated the RedHawks 76-57 at Assembly Hall in front of over 17,000 fans.
“There’s no moral victories here, we came here to win.” said Miami head coach Travis Steele, “The only thing you see is the final score.”
The key to victory for the Hoosiers was their interior presence, which was provided primarily through Oumar Ballo and Malik Redeau. The pair of them combined for 33 points on 61% from the field. Ballo, the former Arizona and Gonzaga big man, finished with 18 boards. Guard Myles Rice added 17 points, missing just one shot, and Trey Galloway added another 13 in his third start of the season.
“Around the rim Malik (Redeau) and Ballo got their way, especially during their late run,” said Steele.
For the RedHawks, a new face led the way offensively. Freshman Luke Skaljac led Miami in scoring, registering 14 points on 50% from both the field and three point range, adding four assists as well. The Ohio native’s shots were crucial in keeping Miami in the game before Indiana pulled away.
(Luke Skaljac goes up for a layup // Credit: Miami Athletics)
“He’s a stud, he’s a future all-league guy.” said Steele, “He’s not scared of the moment.”
Fellow freshman Brant Byers had his best game in a Miami jersey at Assembly Hall, scoring a career-high seven points on 75% shooting.
(Brant Byers converts a dunk // Credit: Miami Athletics)
Miami’s three top scorers on the season, Kam Craft (16.4 PPG) , Peter Suder (13.0) and Eian Elmer (13.6), struggled to demonstrate their talents. The trio combined for just 25 points on 23% shooting (8-34) in 77 total minutes on the court.
The RedHawks went into the halftime break trailing by just three, and kept pace with the Hoosiers for the first ten minutes of the second half. A seven-minute scoring drought, which led to a long Indiana scoring run ended up being the difference between the two sides. Miami shot 23% from the field after the half, making just seven shots from the field.
A Myles Rice mid-range jumper got the scoring started for Indiana, who opened the game on a 8-0 run. Eian Elmer got the visitors on the board with a three-pointer from the corner, but a layup by Malik Reneau and a three by Trey Galloway opened up a 13-3 lead at the first media timeout.
The RedHawks responded by building their own run, scoring six straight through a Suder and-one and Luke Skaljac three. Indiana re-established their lead after a three by Luke Goode, followed by an alley-oop finished off by Ballo. A Galloway layup gave the Hoosiers a 23-11 lead as the clock ticked under the ten minute mark.
Miami refused to let Indiana pull away though. Evan Ipsaro picked off an errant inbound pass and took advantage by dispatching a three in the corner. Reece Potter got in on the scoring action on the next possession, draining a three from the top of the key. Myles Rice made a three of his own at the other end, giving his team a 28-21 advantage.
Ballo scored four straight for the Hoosiers to grow the lead to twelve, but Miami responded instantly. Potter connected on another three, followed by a triple from Elmer to shrink the Indiana lead to four with less than four minutes to play in the half. The two sides traded threes (Rice for IU, Elmer for Miami) before a pull up jumper from Luke Skaljac cut the deficit to 38-34. Two more points from Skaljac and a free throw from Reneau sent the teams to the locker rooms with the score at 39-36 in favor of the Hoosiers.
They started the second half looking to extend their lead, and put together a 7-3 run to do so. Four more points from Ballo and another Galloway three preceded a Peter Suder three to give the RedHawks some momentum. Kam Craft followed that with his first three of the night to bring the deficit back to four, but Reneau got two easy looks at the rim to score the Hoosiers’ 50th points of the night.
Miami continued to keep it close. Luke Skaljac’s second three of the night cut the IU lead to five as time ticked under ten minutes, but a 9-0 run from Indiana re-opened the double digit lead for the Hoosiers. Luke Goode grabbed an offensive rebound and converted the put back through contact, then made the free throw to give Indiana their largest lead of the night.
With a comfortable lead, Indiana continued to pile it on. Reneau got to the basket again for his 19th points of the night, then Myles Rice converted an and-one to extend the lead to 20. Brant Byers connected from three point range to give Miami their first field goal in over seven minutes, but it was too little too late for Miami to get back into the game. When the buzzer sounded, Indiana left the court with a 19-point advantage on the scoreboard.
Miami falls to 5-3 with the loss, and will face Bethany College at Millett Hall in nine days to kick off their run of games in the holiday season. The RedHawks will travel to Vermont, then face Sacred Heart and Defiance on home floor before Christmas. Indiana improves to 7-2, winning their second game in a row, and kick off their Big Ten campaign on Monday against Minnesota.