2016-17 MAC Men’s Basketball Recap: Grambling State Tigers vs. Miami RedHawks

Despite 13 turnovers in the first half, the young Miami RedHawks (4-3) rallied late in the second and outlasted a tough Grambling State Tigers (3-5) team 78-76 in overtime. Michael Weathers had another impressive night with 26 points, five rebounds, five assists, four blocks, and a steal while brother Marcus recorded a double-double with 18 points, 12 boards, an assist, and a block. Jake Wright and Abdoulaye Harouna added to the efforts with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Offensively, Miami struggled mightily out of the gate as it took the team 8:49 to score 11 points while a 9-0 run by the Tigers put the score at 22-11 in favor or GSU at the 7:45 mark. The ‘Hawks managed to cut into that deficit with treys from Jake Wright, Marcus Weathers and Michael Weathers, but Grambling State cruised into halftime with a 38-26 lead. GSU’s defense caused a lot of problems for the Red and White as it forced 13 turnovers, and recorded five blocks and seven steals while holding MU to 38.5% shooting. Michael Weathers led the way with seven points and five rebounds in the half, but Remond Brown of the Tigers dropped 11 on 5-8 shooting.

The RedHawks clawed their way back into the game early in the second half with an 11-3 run, but a 7-2 answer later in the half by the Tigers kept them in control for much of the half. A 5-0 run from the home team late got the game within two points with 1:32 left, setting the stage for a Michael Weathers layup with 11 seconds remaining in regulation to give us some free #MACsketball.

An 8-2 run by Miami gave the team its second lead of the game to put the score at 73-67, but Grambling State battled back to a 74-73 deficit with 1:22 to go in the period. Marcus Weathers came up big with a dunk at the 0:35 mark off of a feed from Dion Wade as the ‘Hawks held on for the 78-76 win.

The Red and White had a huge advantage at the charity stripe tonight as it went 23-30 from the line while GSU only shot 9-17, while they also did a pretty good job on the boards with a 34-24 rebound advantage. The slow start and the early turnovers really hurt, as the team outscored the Tigers 52-38 after halftime, where it only turned the ball over seven times. When Miami can play clean, efficient basketball, they’ll have some opportunities at some big wins.

The RedHawks hit the road as they take on IPFW Saturday at 2:30 p.m.