Miami Defeated in First Battle of the Bricks Matchup
By: Jack Mueller
The Miami RedHawks were defeated in the first iteration of the “Battle of the Bricks” in 2024, falling to Ohio University 78-69. The Bobcats continue to defend their home floor against their rivals, winning every matchup between the two at home since 2011.
The RedHawks would jump out to an early 18-10 lead within the first ten minutes, but Ohio would recover immediately. After taking the lead with six minutes remaining in the half, the Bobcats would not let up, maintaining the lead throughout the rest of the game en route to their sixth conference win of the season.
Ohio relied on their starting lineup for most of their offensive output, and it worked out for them on saturday. Senior guard Jaylin Hunter was dominant against Miami, putting up 22 points on 75% shooting. Hunter leads the Bobcats in scoring, and showed why he’s been so effective for them this season. Fellow upperclassmen Shereef Mitchell and AJ Clayton supplemented the scoring with 16 and 15 respectively, rounding out a balanced offensive attack that Miami couldn’t keep up with.
Despite the loss, there were some positives for the RedHawks to take back to Oxford. Eian Elmer continued his breakout season, putting up 14 points on 50% shooting. His real impact though came in the paint, as his size and versatility makes him a real asset all over the floor. Elmer pulled down 9 rebounds, including two offensive boards.
Bradley Dean marked his return from injury with his longest appearance of the season. In 25 minutes on the floor he put up ten points on 50% shooting, adding two assists as well. Anderson Mirambeaux continued to be Miami’s primary scoring option off the bench, leading the ‘Hawks in scoring with 16 in twenty two minutes. Mirambeaux leads Miami in scoring on the season, averaging 13.9 points on the season.
After being so consistent for the RedHawks all season, Darweshi Hunter had his first game that can be considered sub-par. Hunter connected on just one shot from the field, registering just three points in 29 minutes on the floor. Despite registering two steals on the defensive side, he ended with a -28 plus/minus rating.
Miami will return to Oxford to continue their MAC campaign against Northern Illinois on Tuesday, February 6th. NIU has suffered through a rough start to their conference campaign, starting 1-8. Miami will have the opportunity to improve their seventh seed spot against a struggling Husky team.