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Nov. 20, 2009
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Sophomore forward Julian Mavunga paced Miami University's men's basketball team (0-3) on Friday evening with his first career double-double, but it was not enough as the RedHawks fell ¬to Louisiana Tech (2-0) in the first game of the Basketball Travelers Tournament, 74-62.
Making his first career start, Mavunga also hit several other career landmarks, producing career bests of 16 points and 12 rebounds while playing a career-most 37 minutes. Mavunga was 3-for-4 from beyond the arc for the RedHawks, nailing the first 3-pointers of his career.
The Bulldogs took the lead from the get-go and never looked back. Miami knotted the game at 5-5 off a sophomore guard Kramer Soderberg 3-pointer and again at 7-7 with 14:41 to play in the first half off a senior center Adam Fletcher layup. After a pair of freshman guard Orlando Williams free throws at the 11:14 mark to pull the RedHawks within one, 12-11, Louisiana Tech rattled off eight unanswered points over the next two minutes to post a 20-11 advantage.
The Bulldogs continued to surge and extended their lead to 14 points off a Jamel Guyton 3-pointer with 3:33 left in the half, 31-17. Spurred by four points from Mavunga, Miami was able to shrink the gap to seven points with 18 seconds remaining, 33-26. However, a three-point play by DeAndre Brown with six seconds remaining would extend the Bulldog lead to 10 points, giving Louisiana Tech a 36-26 advantage going in to the half.
Louisiana Tech continued to pad its advantage in the second half, reaching its largest lead--18 points--by the 5:40 mark, 62-44. The RedHawks battled back over the next two and a half minutes to close within seven points with 2:06 to play, 66-59. Junior forward Nick Winbush along with Soderberg and Mavunga each drained 3-pointers during the rally. Miami got as close as seven points again off another Mavunga trey with 1:34 remaining, 69-62, but Louisiana Tech extended its advantage to double figures, eventually capturing the 74-62 win.
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Four Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by Kyle Gibson with a game-high 27 points. Olu Ashaolu tallied a double-double with 14 points and 13 boards.
Miami continues its stint in the tournament, facing Nicholls State at 8 p.m. (ET) Saturday. The RedHawks round out the tournament facing host New Mexico at 8 p.m. (ET) on Sunday.
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