Sunday, February 14, 1999
MIAMI 78, E. MICHIGAN 56
Miami wins MAC behind seniors
BY JOHN FAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
OXFORD — Miami is a better, deeper and more balanced team than it was last year, but Wally Szczerbiak and Damon Frierson are still the stars that make the RedHawks go.
That was the case Saturday.
Miami was having trouble pulling away from a surprisingly pesky Eastern Michigan team. Then Szczerbiak and Frierson took over.
They would score 12 straight points to balloon the lead to 11 and send the RedHawks on the way to a 78-56 victory before a crowd of 7,651 at Millett Hall.
Szczerbiak finished with 35 points and 16 rebounds. The point total was his second best at Miami; the rebound total equalled a career-high. Frierson finished with 18 points and four assists.
“We took over at crunch time,” Szczerbiak said.
Said Miami coach Charlie Coles: “This is the time of the year when you need your best players to play their best. Damon and Wally did that today.”
The victory, Miami's seventh straight, gives the RedHawks at least share of the Mid-American Conference title. It is the RedHawks' fifth MAC title since 1992 and second in Coles' three years. Overall, it's Miami's 20th MAC title, most of any team. Ohio University has won the
second most (9). Miami (19-4 and 14-1) would have to lose its remaining three games and Kent has to win its last two for the MAC to end up a tie.
“It's great,” Szczerbiak said. “It means some more rings. But we want to win it outright. We've still got some work to do.”
Eastern (3-19, 3-12) made Miami work harder than expected Saturday. It was still a three-point game five minutes into the second half. Then Szczerbiak scored eight straight points to get Miami rolling. Frierson followed with two hoops of his own. Szczerbiak then added a free throw.
Just like that, it was 48-37. Eastern would never fully recover.
It may have been the finest combined game by Miami's two senior stars, although they combined for 65 points against Dayton and 57 against Tennessee last year.
Szczerbiak took over the game in one stretch, something that's becoming common.
“It wasn't like he scored all those points when we were up 25,” Coles said. “We needed those points.”
The best sign for Miami was Frierson hitting open shots. He was 6-for-11 overall and 2-for-5 from three-point range. He is 12-for-25 his last two games after shooting 26.7 percent in his previous six.
“I'm still confident in my shot,” Frierson said. “I'd like to shoot 40-to-50 percent. But I really just look to make the next one.”
Szczerbiak did not have a great shooting day from long range. He was 1-for-4 outside the arc, but inside it he was 10-for-12.
The majority of his points came on drives to the hoop, including one past his man for a two-handed jam. He finished the day with three dunks.
“When Damon and I screen for each other, we're unstoppable,” he said. “One of us is going to get open and score.”
Miami has its toughest road stretch coming up. The RedHawks go to Toledo Wednesday, then to Bowling Green Saturday, followed by the regular-season finale against Kent Feb. 24 at Millett.
Said Szczerbiak: “It's not getting any easier. But we want to play quality teams. We want to win out and go the NCAA Tournament with some momentum.”
MIAMI NOTEBOOK
EASTERN MICH (56)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
Warner 24 4-8 4-7 4-6 0 2 12
Erquhart 31 5-12 1-3 0-3 1 3 11
Howard 39 3-5 0-0 1-5 4 2 6
Hadley 27 1-6 3-6 2-4 1 4 5
Van Orden 36 3-7 0-0 1-4 1 1 9
Fisher 8 2-8 0-0 2-3 0 3 5
Romano 8 0-0 2-2 0-3 0 1 2
Wells 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Williams 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Mcgee 15 3-7 0-3 2-3 0 2 6
Radney 10 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 5 0
_______________________________________________
TOTALS 200 21-55 10-21 12-31 7 23 56
_______________________________________________
Percentages: FG-.382, FT-.476. 3-Point Goals:
4-11, .364 (Erquhart 0-3, Van Orden 3-5, Fisher
1-3). Team rebounds: 2. Blocked shots: 3
(Erquhart, Howard, Mcgee). Turnovers: 15 (Howard
7, Erquhart 2, Mcgee 2, Fisher, Hadley, Romano,
Williams). Steals: 6 (Howard 2, Hadley, Mcgee,
Van Orden, Warner).
MIAMI (78)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
Stewart 15 1-5 0-0 0-1 0 1 2
Mestas 34 1-5 0-0 0-1 6 2 3
Frierson 34 6-11 4-4 0-3 4 4 18
Estick 13 0-1 3-4 1-3 1 3 3
Szczerbiak 39 11-16 12-14 3-16 2 3 35
Grunkemeyer 15 2-4 0-1 0-0 2 1 6
Shine 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Helmers 2 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Taylor 15 1-5 1-2 2-5 0 0 3
Lethunya 15 2-3 0-0 3-6 0 3 4
Locklier 3 1-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 2
Allendorf 3 0-0 0-2 1-2 0 0 0
Ensminger 9 1-2 0-0 1-1 0 0 2
Ross 1 0-1 0-0 1-1 0 0 0
_______________________________________________
TOTALS 200 26-55 20-27 12-39 16 17 78
_______________________________________________
Percentages: FG-.473, FT-.741. 3-Point Goals:
6-21, .286 (Stewart 0-3, Mestas 1-2, Frierson
2-5, Szczerbiak 1-4, Grunkemeyer 2-4, Taylor
0-3). Team rebounds: 3. Blocked shots: 4
(Szczerbiak 2, Stewart, Allendorf). Turnovers: 11
(Frierson 4, Estick 2, Ensminger, Lethunya,
Mestas, Shine, Szczerbiak). Steals: 8 (Mestas 2,
Szczerbiak 2, Taylor 2, Frierson, Ross).
__________________________________
Eastern Mich 27 29 - 56
Miami 32 46 - 78
__________________________________
Technical fouls: None. A: 7,651. Officials: Sam
Lickliter, Rodney Chamberlain, Mike Roberts.
Sports Stories
Gullett: Been there, done that
Gullett resurrects arms
For starters, UC needs more from Mickeal
Xavier must contend with Temple zone
