ATHENS, Ohio (AP) — Miami (Ohio) finished the regular season as the only unbeaten team in Division I men's basketball, with Eian Elmer scoring a career-high 32 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in a gritty 110-108 overtime victory over Ohio on Friday night.
Peter Suder scored five of his 13 points in overtime for Miami (31-0, 18-0 Mid-American), which became the first team to complete an unblemished regular season since Gonzaga in 2021.
Trey Perry added
21 points and Brant Byers scored 15 for the RedHawks, who topped Akron for the league title.
Despite its magical season, Miami might need to win the conference tournament next week to guarantee a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Jackson Paveletzke led Ohio (15-16, 9-9) with a career-high 37 points. Javan Simmons scored 30 and Aidan Hadaway added 20. The Bobcats lost three straight to end the regular season.
Miami had a bumpy stretch over its previous dozen games with four one-possession wins and two others that went to overtime. This time, the RedHawks needed some late heroics again to win in Athens for the first time in 15 years.
Simmons’ basket off a missed shot by teammate Kirr Kuany gave Ohio a 108-107 lead with 26 seconds left in OT. Suder sank two free throws to put Miami ahead and Justin Kirby made another for the final margin. Paveletzke missed two shots in the final 5 seconds that could have given Ohio the lead, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Miami is the top seed in the conference tournament and will play in the opening game of the quarterfinals Thursday in Cleveland. Ohio's seeding will be determined after the completion of league games this weekend.
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