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The Miami RedHawks (6-6) showed their character late against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (4-11) as Michael Weathers imposed his will in the 66-58 come-from-behind victory. The freshman ended the night with 19 points, four assists, three rebounds, three steals, and two blocks, while the home team’s defense got it done with 22 turnovers forced, nine steals, and seven blocks.
Miami really asserted itself in the opening minutes of the first half as it jumped out to a 10-2 lead thanks to a pair of treys from Weathers and Logan McClane. The lead lasted until there was 4:15 left in the half as the Tiger took the 32-31 advantage. The teams traded blows until the halftime horn sounded and things were knotted up at 36-36.
Jake Wright was on fire from behind the arc for the ‘Hawks in the half as he was 3-3 from distance on his way to getting 11 points. Weathers wasn’t able to get going shooting the ball as he was 2-7 from the field, but he pitched in with four assists, two rebounds, a steal and a block. The lack of consistency across the board for the team opened the door for TTU, and the road team took advantage of that sloppy play.
The Red and White trailed most of the second half, falling behind by six points at one juncture, before breaking through at the 7:20 mark following a couple of Dion Wade free throws to set the score at 52-51. TTU battled back and converted free throws off of a Weathers foul to tie the game with 3:52 left in regulation. However, the RedHawks showed their resilience as Weathers scored the next ten points (as well as recording two blocks and a board), effectively putting the game out of reach.
Weathers’s shot wasn’t there all night as he went 5-13 from the field, but he was a difference maker from the free throw line as he went 8-9 from the charity stripe. Also having a strong night was McClane with his 12 points on 5-8 shooting and nine rebounds while Wright was held without a point in the second half. The rebounding allowed the Golden Eagles to stick around as they had a 40-33 edge on the glass including an 11-8 advantage on the offensive end.
Miami takes on Olivet College next Tuesday at 7 p.m. to round out its non-conference slate.