by KENT, Ohio– A standing-room-only crowd packed Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center on Tuesday night, but it was the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks who stood tall at the final horn, fending off a late Kent State surge to remain unbeaten and move to 20–0 overall and 8–0 in conference play.
Cian Medley put Kent State (14-5, 5-2 MAC) up 92-88 with under one minute left in regulation. The RedHawks would score the final four points of the game with a last-second layup from Luke Skaljac to force overtime.
Skaljac ended the night with 18 points and started overtime with a stout defensive play that led to a 3-pointer to put his team ahead by five points early on. When the Golden Flashes turned the ball over or missed an opportunity to capitalize at the rim, there was Peter Suder, Elan Elmer and Skaljac leading the way, helping their team show why they’re ranked in the top 25 for the first time in over 25 years.
Suder ended the night with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Elmer added 25 points with Skaljac finishing with 18 points, five rebounds and eight assists.
Rob Whaley Jr. had season high 27 points and 14 rebounds for the Golden Flashes while Cian Medley scored 23 points.
The RedHawks opened the game off on a high note, scoring the first seven points of the game while maintaining a double-digit lead for most of the half.
Rob Whaley used his size to his advantage, helping spark a quick turnaround for the Flashes. An 8-0 run helped get his team within six, but that was the closest they’d get in a first half where offensive inconsistency and turnovers played Achilles heel.
The trio of Peter Suder, Luke Skaljac and Elan Elmer combined for 38 of the team’s 48 first half points. Whaley had 12 points in the first half where his team turned the ball over nine times compared to just three from the RedHawks. Not to mention having just three assists as a team compared to 11 found Whaley and his team searching for answers, heading into halftime facing a 48-34 deficit.
An 18-6 run to start the first five minutes of the second half was all the momentum they needed to get the crowd fully engaged, starting with Whaley. The big man used his size and outside shot to help get the Flashes well within reach.
The Golden Flashes took their first lead of the night when Rayvon Griffith got past the defense for a fast-break dunk, making it 67-66 with under 10 minutes left. Nine lead changes later, Skaljac took matters into his own hands to force overtime, where they would outscore the Golden Flashes 15-9.
