Miami (Ohio) holds off Ball St. 69-66 behind Ayah, Sibande
OXFORD, Ohio -- Precious Ayah set career highs with 11 points and 13 rebounds and Miami (Ohio) held off Ball State 69-66 on Tuesday night.
Nike Sibande had 17 points for Miami (14-12, 6-7 Mid-American Conference). Bam Bowman added 12 points and eight rebounds.
Ball State totaled a season-low 31 second-half points, but rallied from 14 points down and closed to 67-66 on Tayler Persons' layup with five seconds left before Miami's Mekhi Larry sealed it with two free throws.
Persons had 16 points for the Cardinals (14-12, 5-8), who saw their three-game win streak end. K.J. Walton added 11 points and Brachen Hazen had seven rebounds.
The RedHawks improve to 2-0 against the Cardinals for the season. Miami defeated Ball State 71-65 on Jan. 22. Miami plays Akron on the road on Saturday. Ball State takes on Central Michigan at home on Saturday.
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Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com
Game Information
- Referees:
- Frank Spencer
- John Hampton
- Edwin Young
2023-24 Mid-American Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toledo | 14-4 | - | 20-12 |
| Akron | 13-5 | 1 | 24-11 |
| Ohio | 13-5 | 1 | 20-13 |
| Central Michigan | 12-6 | 2 | 18-14 |
| Bowling Green | 10-8 | 4 | 20-14 |
| Miami (OH) | 9-9 | 5 | 15-17 |
| Western Michigan | 9-9 | 5 | 12-20 |
| Kent State | 8-10 | 6 | 17-17 |
| Ball State | 7-11 | 7 | 15-16 |
| Eastern Michigan | 6-12 | 8 | 13-18 |
| Northern Illinois | 5-13 | 9 | 11-20 |
| Buffalo | 2-16 | 12 | 4-27 |
Men's College Basketball News
