Eian Elmer scored 12 of his team-high 18 points in the first half and grabbed nine rebounds, while Peter Suder added 17 points and seven rebounds to keep No. 23 Miami (Ohio) unbeaten with a 90-74 road win over Marshall on Saturday afternoon in Huntington, W. Va.
Antwone Woolfork added 15 points and seven rebounds for Miami (24-0), which led wire-to-wire to extend the longest winning streak in Mid-American Conference history. Miami and No. 1 Arizona remain the nation’s only unbeaten Division I men’s basketball teams.
Noah Otshudi had a game-high 23 points while Wyatt Fricks added 16 points and 10 rebounds for Marshall (15-9).
While the game was scheduled as part of the MAC/Sun Belt Conference Challenge, the two schools were longtime rivals in the MAC and the RedHawks extended their lead in the all-time series to 49-29.
Marshall played without one of its key players for a second straight game as injured 7-foot-4 Matt Van Komen sat on the bench in street clothes. Van Komen ranks sixth in the country with 58 blocks this season.
Miami took advantage early, racing out to a 9-2 lead. Leading 22-16, Miami erupted for a 19-1 run highlighted by a 4-point play from Almar Atlason in a 13-0 spurt. Elmer also was big early for Miami, draining all four of his 3-point attempts for 12 first-half points.
Marshall missed nine of its first 10 from beyond the arc and opened the game ice-cold from the field. After making six of their first 11, the Herd missed 17 straight shots, including six 3-point attempts. Marshall finished the first half 10 of 33 (30.3%) from the floor.
Marshall did cut into Miami’s lead before the break, outscoring the RedHawks 14-8 to trim Miami’s lead to 49-31 at the half.
Miami scored the opening basket of the second half to restore the 20-point lead. Miami led 56-36 before Marshall made a charge to cut its deficit to 59-49. But Marshall point guard Jalen Speer picked up his fourth personal foul with 11:41 left in the second half and had to go to the bench. Miami answered with six straight points.
Marshall cut the deficit to single digits twice in the final 10 minutes, but could only get as close as 67-58 on an Otshudi layup with 7:46 remaining.
–Field Level Media
