Sunday, February 04, 2001
Bowling Green 67, Miami 63
Coles lets out his frustration
By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer
OXFORD — Miami University continues to be a team that struggles to get over the hump that separates good teams from mediocre ones. Saturday's 67-63 overtime loss to Bowling Green illustrated that.
It was the fourth time this season Miami failed to extend a two-game winning streak to three.
“This is getting old,” Miami coach Charlie Coles said. “They're testing a good guy.”
Coles, local college basketball's Mr.Nice Guy, let his team have it Saturday.
“Yes, I did,” he said. “It gets frustrating for me — and all the coaches. I haven't passed (the frustration) on to the players very often. But there comes a time when you've got to compete. You can't take a day off.”
Miami didn't take the day off Saturday — just enough of it to let this one slip away.
MU made 14 of 14 free throws before Alex Shorts missed with 10.6 seconds left in regulation. That allowed the Falcons to force OT. The RedHawks then went up 63-60. But they would not score again.
They had a chance to tie it with a 3-pointer after Len Matela gave BG a 66-63 lead with 10.8 seconds left in OT. But Matt Jameson took an off-balance 3 with four seconds left.
It missed, and Miami (10-1, 6-5 Mid-American Conference) was beaten.
Shorts led Miami with 21 points. Jason Grunkemeyer had 15. Matela led BG (8-10, 4-5) with 19.
Jameson (nine points, three assists) might have played his best game at Miami, but the shot at the end was not what Miami wanted.
“Definitely not,” Coles said. “Definitely not.”
Jameson also took the last shot in regulation — another shot Coles would have preferred someone else take. But he blamed all five players on the floor.
“I will say this: A ballclub cannot let that happen,” Coles said. “I was afraid to call time out, because that favors the defense.”
The players understand Coles' anger.
“Who can blame the guy?” Grunkemeyer said. “We get something going, then we take a step back. That's the story of the season.”
The RedHawks played just well enough to stay in the game until midway through the second half.
BG was up 38-29 when the RedHawks went on a 14-2 run over a four-minute period to take a 43-40 lead with 7:58 to play.
But Miami could not close the deal.
“Bowling Green came in with no choice but to win,” Coles said. “Our guys don't do well against that.”
Said BG coach Dan Dakich: “I'm proud of the effort of our kids. We haven't been the most resilient team in America.”
BG took a 52-49 lead with 3:07 to go.
Eugene Seals and Jameson hit back-to-back 3s — Miami's first two of the game — to make it 55-54 with 1:47 left.
After an exchange of baskets, Miami made a stop.
Shorts hit one of two free throws to make it 58-56 Miami with 16.6 seconds left.
Trent Jackson missed a short shot with just under 10 seconds to play. But Matela rebounded. Mike Ensminger fouled him.
“That was the key to the game,” Coles said.
Matela hit both foul shots to tie it at 58 with 8.2 seconds left. Jameson's 10-footer as time ran out in regulation hit the back of the rim.
Afterward, Dakich told Coles that Miami would be a good team someday.
“I'm going to be 59 next Tuesday — with a bad heart,” Coles said. “So, whoa, it may be someone else's team. I don't know if we can get over this. We've got to play 40 minutes.”
Miami's string of MAC finals in jeopardy
BOWLING GREEN (67)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
Jackson 36 6-11 0-2 1-4 1 5 13
Klassen 24 1-4 0-0 3-4 0 4 2
Matela 45 7-12 5-6 2-7 3 3 19
Mcleod 35 2-9 11-12 0-0 1 2 15
Pardon 45 3-5 0-0 0-2 7 0 8
Almanson 11 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 3 2
Ryan 27 3-6 1-2 2-4 1 3 8
Netter 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
_______________________________________________
TOTALS 225 23-48 17-22 8-21 13 20 67
_______________________________________________
Percentages: FG-.479, FT-.773. 3-Point Goals:
4-11, .364 (Jackson 1-2, Mcleod 0-2, Pardon 2-3,
Ryan 1-4). Team rebounds: 3. Blocked shots: 2
(Klassen, Matela). Turnovers: 13 (Pardon 5,
Matela 2, Mcleod 2, Jackson, Klassen, Netter,
Ryan). Steals: 11 (Jackson 4, Pardon 4, Mcleod 2,
Ryan).
MIAMI (63)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
Johnson 24 0-3 0-0 1-2 2 2 0
Shorts 39 7-12 7-8 0-4 1 4 21
Ensminger 32 2-3 0-0 1-5 0 5 4
Jameson 44 4-11 0-0 0-3 3 1 9
Grunkemeyer 43 6-9 3-4 2-4 3 3 15
Drake 4 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Seals 24 2-4 4-4 0-3 0 1 9
Reed 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Allendorf 15 1-1 3-3 2-4 0 2 5
_______________________________________________
TOTALS 225 22-44 17-19 6-25 9 20 63
_______________________________________________
Percentages: FG-.500, FT-.895. 3-Point Goals:
2-7, .286 (Johnson 0-1, Jameson 1-4, Drake 0-1,
Seals 1-1). Team rebounds: 2. Blocked shots: 1
(Seals). Turnovers: 18 (Ensminger 4, Jameson 4,
Shorts 4, Grunkemeyer 3, Allendorf, Drake,
Johnson). Steals: 7 (Ensminger 2, Allendorf,
Grunkemeyer, Jameson, Johnson, Seals).
_______________________________________
Bowling Green 25 33 9 - 67
Miami 21 37 5 - 63
_______________________________________
Technical fouls: None. A: 3,880. Officials:
Jerry Sauder, Keith Herring, Rodney Chamberlain.
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Bowling Green 67, Miami 63