No. 23 Miami (Ohio) puts win streak on line against Marshall
After yet another close call, No. 23 Miami (Ohio) looks to continue its perfect season when it steps out of Mid-American Conference play to battle Marshall of the Sun Belt Conference on Saturday afternoon in Huntington, W. Va.
Miami (23-0) is one of only two unbeaten teams in Division I men's basketball, joining No. 1 Arizona. Marshall (15-8) rallied in its last game for an 81-77 home win Wednesday over Southern Miss.
The RedHawks escaped their latest challenge from Buffalo on Tuesday night when Luke Skaljac scored 15 of his career-high 19 points after halftime in a 73-71 road win. It was Miami's fourth in five games that came down to the last possession of regulation or overtime.
"Luke's a terrific player," Miami head coach Travis Steele said. "He can go get his own shot; he can make plays for others. We knew that when we recruited him out of high school. I thought he was the best guard in the state of Ohio in that class of 2024, and I think he's (been) able to showcase that here during MAC play."
Miami built up a 12-point lead in the second half, 52-40, before Buffalo rallied to tie the game, 64-64. But it was Skaljac, who took over at point guard after Evan Ipsaro went down with a torn ACL, who stepped up for Miami and led the RedHawks to a 23rd straight win.
The sophomore guard had a career-high five steals, all after intermission, and added three assists.
"The ball was in my hands towards the end of the game, and I made a few big shots down the stretch," Skaljac said. "We keep finding ways to win, and (Tuesday) was just another example of that."
Brant Byers had 11 points for the RedHawks while Peter Suder added 10 points and eight assists.
Marshall rallied from a four-point halftime deficit Wednesday to post its fourth win in five games. Wyatt Fricks had 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-7 from 3-point range.
Fricks nailed a go-ahead three with 11:34 left and gave Marshall its first lead of the second half at 52-51. The veteran forward also anchored the defense with seven rebounds and a game-best three blocks, leading the team in scoring for the sixth time.
Noah Otshudi had 17 points while Jalen Speer added 15 and drove the offense with a game-high eight assists for a second straight game. Erich Harding posted a career-high 11 points.
The Thundering Herd saw a 10-point lead with three minutes left trimmed to one in the closing seconds but managed to hold on, thrilling the crowd at the on-campus Cam Henderson Center.
"That was fun," Marshall coach Cornelius Jackson said. "That was a fun game to coach, a fun game to be a part of."
A capacity crowd of more than 9,000 is expected on campus as Marshall hopes to end the unbeaten run of the RedHawks in the Mid-American/Sun Belt Challenge.
"Our crowd was awesome," Jackson added. "I don't care... we have the best fans. They were into the game. I'm emotional. I've coached and played that way, and that's who I am. When I see these guys out there making plays, I'm fired up for them."