Nov. 13, 2009

Box Score

TOWSON, Md.--Miami scored 42 first-half points and shot 55.2 percent from the field in the opening half, but Towson went on a 14-4 run late in the game to help secure an 82-71 win against the RedHawks in the season opener on Friday night at the Towson Center.

Miami (0-1) used a 10-0 run off a pair of layups by sophomore guard Kramer Soderberg, a junior guard Rodney Haddix II 3-pointer and a three-point play from sophomore forward Julian Mavunga to capture an 18-8 lead by the 13:24 mark. Towson (1-0) chipped away at the RedHawk advantage, eventually taking its first lead of the game at the 3:43 mark off a David Brewster 3-pointer, 33-32. Miami quickly rebounded, going on a 10-1 surge, spurred by 3-pointers from Soderberg and senior guard Kenny Hayes, to post a 42-34 lead with 1:05 to play in the half. Josh Thornton drained a trey for the Tigers with 17 seconds left to leave Miami with a five-point edge going into the half, 42-37.

In the second half, Miami extended its lead to nine points, 46-37, off a Hayes layup and a pair of free throws by Hayes. The Tigers went on an 11-2 run to knot the game, 48-48, with 15:31 remaining. A 3-pointer by junior forward Nick Winbush put Miami back on top, 51-48, but Towson rattled off six unanswered points and took the lead for good, 54-51. After pulling within one, 53-54, with 12:47 to play, Miami quickly saw its deficit grow to eight points by the 11:15 mark, 61-53. The RedHawks would get as close as four points off a Winbush 3-pointer with 7:19 remaining, 66-62, but the Tigers pulled out to a 14-point lead with 1:49 to play, 80-66. Miami scored five points over the waning minutes to make the final margin 11 points, 82-71.

Hayes tallied 17 points and six assists, while senior center Adam Fletcher had 11 points and a game-high seven rebounds and Winbush tallied 11 points and a career-high three blocked shots for the RedHawks.

Towson was led by Lee Calvin, who had 25 points and was the only Tiger to score in double figures.

There is little rest for the RedHawks, who travel to battle No. 4 Kentucky at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 16. The game will be televised on FS South and on the Big Blue Network, which includes WB64 in Cincinnati.

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