Miami Falls to Vermont: Three Keys and Summary

By: Jack Mueller

Cover Photo: Megan Walker & Miami Athletics

The Miami RedHawks saw their comeback attempt come up just short in Vermont, as the Catamounts capitalized on a dominant first half to escape with a 75-67 win. The RedHawks will face Sacred Heart on their home floor on Sunday hoping to improve on their 6-4 record before the New Year.

Dynamic Duos: Fiorello & Hurley / Craft & Suder

From the first moments of Wednesday’s game, it was clear who the offensive focal points were going to be for Vermont. TJ Hurley and Nick Fiorillo formed a guard/forward combo that proved to be formidable against the Miami defense. The pair of them combined for 41 points on 47% shooting. 

Fiorillo was a major force in the paint, getting to the line 15 times, and converting fourteen of his courtesy shots. Hurley on the other hand excelled at creating shots for himself behind and around the perimeter. His range from beyond the arc was limited by Miami’s defense (1-5 from three), but the threat of a triple allowed him to get good looks from mid-range (5-6 from inside the arc). 

For Miami, their two top scorers took a while to assert themselves on the game, but once they did, they were key. Kam Craft and Peter Suder failed to register a three pointer, but were very good on the interior. The pair of them combined for 36 points on 68% shooting (excluding 3pt attempts). Both were able to create good looks close to the rim to give Miami a chance to build momentum as they clawed their way back into the game in the second half. 

Live by the Three, Maybe Not Die by the Three

The RedHawks turned in their worst shooting performance of the season from behind the arc. Eian Elmer connected from beyond the three point line with three minutes to play in the first, ending an 0-9 start. From there, Miami only shot five more threes, making none of them. Their 7% three point percentage is their first time finishing below 10% since January 14th, 2023.

For a team that shoots 45% of their shots from deep, and was making them at a 37% clip until this point, a performance like that was unexpected. However, Miami’s proven they can win games even without the trey-ball working (20% in 75-72 win over Mercer), and almost found a way to win this one. 

Miami abandoned their shots from beyond the arc, and instead focused on a high-energy style offense focused on getting good looks closer to the rim. It worked a charm, and allowed the team to make a run to get back into the game and almost take the lead. While they fell just short on Wednesday night, there are signs that this offense can rely on more than just three-point production to create good looks. 

Tale of Two Teams

For the first 30 minutes of Wednesday’s night game, Vermont was playing a much cleaner game than Miami. They capitalized on turnovers to the tune of 17 points (at that point Miami had two PoT) and were forcing the RedHawks into foul trouble. 

Then, something clicked for Miami, and almost instantly they were right back in contention for the win. Eian Elmer and Peter Suder both intercepted passes off of inbounds passes to score an easy four points, and the good shooting looks that the Catamounts were getting in the first half weren’t appearing anymore. 

After struggling to get into the game early, Miami drew close to, if not even, to Vermont in nearly every statistical category. They finished above the Catamounts in points off turnovers, scoring 17 in the second half, and were within one in the rebounds. 

The main change occurred on offense. Miami was dominant in the paint after going away from the three point shot. The RedHawks finished with 50 points in the lane and eight second chance points, with Woolfolk leading the charge with 12 points on 83% shooting in the middle. On the other side of the floor, they held their opponent to just 24 points in the paint, and didn’t allow any buckets on extra possessions. 

Game Summary

TJ Hurley got the scoring going for the Catamounts after an early stop on the other end, but Peter Suder drew a foul from behind the arc to give Miami an early 3-2 lead from the charity stripe. Neither side could pull away early, with the two sides going into the first media timeout deadlocked at 9. The first double digit lead of the night after seven minutes of action, with Nick Fiorello cashing in a layup at the rim to make it 13-9. 

Vermont kept the momentum going, capitalizing on an offensive drought for the RedHawks (30% FG, 0-6 3pt to start the game) to go on a 13-2 run to open up an eleven point lead. Luke Skaljac ended a three-minute scoreless run for Miami with a nifty mid-range jumper, but TJ Hurley responded with a jumper of his own to preserve the double digit lead. 

Miami started to impose themselves on the game after the second media timeout. Antwoine Woolfolk and Kam Craft connected twice each close to the basket, and Eian Elmer dropped in Miami’s first three of the night to cut the deficit to six with three minutes to play in the half. Fiorello and Hurley combined for nine more points at the end of the half to open up the largest lead of the night, with the Catamounts leading 40-26. Evan Ipsaro responded with a mid-ranger, which were the final points of the half. 

Miami opened the second period with back-to-back scores courtesy of Woolfolk and Suder, but Vermont responded instantly. Jace Roquemore’s three, Fiorello’s layup and a monster slam by Ileri Ayo-Faleye opened up a 47-32 lead within the first three minutes of the half. 

Vermont continued to be a force on both sides of the ball. Ayo-Faleye, Fiorello and Shamir Bogues all found the basket to give the Catamounts a 55-39 lead as the clock ticked under 12 minutes. Miami fought their way back into the game after a 12-2 run to make the score 57-49, driven by three mid-rangers from Suder and Craft. Elmer added two more to that run by stealing an inbound and laying it within inches of the basket. 

They weren’t done yet. The RedHawks cut the lead to five after Suder and Craft combined for five points within six feet of the basket to make the score 59-54. Moments later, they combined again after Craft scored a turnaround jumper, and Suder stole the inbound and went to the rack for another two. Eian Elmer added four points on his own after Ayo-Faleye added a bucket for the Catamounts to make the score 64-62. 

The Catamounts held on though. Two huge blocks from Ayo-Faleye and Bogues, and two Roquemore free throws prevented Miami from pulling any closer. Those stops forced Miami to play the foul game, which they lost, allowing Vermont to escape with a 75-67 victory.