By Mark Schmetzer
Enquirer contributor

OXFORD - All Miami needed to move into a tie with idle Kent State for first place in the Mid-American Conference East Division Saturday was a win at Millett Hall against Ball State, a team the RedHawks had beaten 11 consecutive times in Oxford.

The RedHawks responded with a lethargic effort and lost 56-50.

Ball State junior guard Matt McCollom hit a 3-pointer from the left corner with 1:01 left in the game to break a 48-48 tie. He followed up with three free throws in the final 42 seconds as the Cardinals (7-6, 4-1 MAC West Division) snapped Miami's three-game winning streak.

"We didn't come prepared to play like we were in the previous games," said senior guard Juby Johnson, who scored a game-high 16 points. "We looked tired. We didn't play with the energy we had the previous three games."

That was most evident in rebounding. Ball State matched its season high while outrebounding Miami (7-6, 3-2) 43-31, including 17 offensive rebounds. The Cardinals scored 15 second-chance points.

"They took away our fast break because they kept getting offensive rebounds," Miami coach Charlie Coles said.

Ball State also capitalized on a subpar effort from Miami's Chet Mason. The junior guard, who'd averaged 17 points and 10.3 rebounds during the RedHawks' three-game winning streak, scored two points and had one rebound. He fouled out with 3.2 seconds left.

"I think I was worried more about fouls, and it took away from the other parts of my game," Mason said. "I didn't crash the boards like I normally do."

Miami junior Danny Horace also fouled out. Horace had missed the previous two games with an ankle injury, but he played long enough to score 11 points and grab seven rebounds in 14 minutes.

There were 10 lead changes and fourteen ties before McCollom hit his 3-pointer against Miami's zone defense.

"I thought (Ball State) played well enough to win," Coles said. "I thought we played well enough to win - until the 3-pointer."

Ball State	M	FG	Att	FT	Att	R	A	F	TO	TP
Owens	31	3	12	1	3	8	1	3	2	7
Echols	25	6	13	1	2	7	0	4	1	13
McCollom	29	4	7	5	6	7	1	4	1	15
Stovall	28	0	2	3	4	1	2	2	2	3
Trammell	35	1	5	1	2	8	3	3	4	3
Bennett	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
McClung	12	3	3	2	5	3	0	0	1	10
Mills	16	0	2	0	0	1	0	1	1	0
Chapman	20	1	6	3	7	4	0	1	1	5
Totals	200	18	51	16	29	43	7	18	13	56

Team rebounds - 4.

Miami	M	FG	Att	FT	Att	R	A	F	TO	TP
Seals	29	2	6	3	4	4	0	3	1	8
Schenke	23	0	2	1	4	5	3	4	1	1
Hausfeld	28	1	5	0	0	1	3	4	0	2
Mason	31	1	6	0	0	1	1	5	1	2
Johnson	34	6	16	4	5	5	1	0	3	16
Penno	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Hatcher	20	2	5	0	2	0	4	3	2	5
St. Clair	5	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Peavy	15	2	3	1	2	2	0	2	1	5
Horace	14	4	5	2	2	7	0	5	1	11
Totals	200	18	50	11	19	31	12	26	10	50

Team rebounds - 6.

Ball State	27	29	-56
Miami	29	21	-50

3-pointers - BS 4-10 (Owens 0-3, McCollom 2-2, Trammell 0-2, Bennett 0-1, McClung 2-2), MU 3-15 (Seals 1-1, Hausfeld 0-4, Mason 0-2, Johnson 0-4, Hatcher 1-2, St. Clair 0-1, Horace 1-1). Technicals - None. Officials - Forehand, Wegenke, Carstensen. Attendance - 3,861.