March 19, 2008

Box Score

TULSA, Okla.--Freshman guard Rodney Haddix led Miami University's men's basketball team with 12 points, while junior forward/guard Eric Pollitz chipped in 10 points, but the RedHawks (17-16) saw their season end with a 61-45 loss at Tulsa (21-13) in the first round of the inaugural College Basketball Invitational on Wednesday evening.

The Golden Hurricane sprinted to a 23-8 lead by the 10:57 mark of the first half with Brett McDade draining a quartet of 3-pointers. Miami clawed its way back over the next eight minutes, persistently chiseling away at the Tulsa lead.

A pair of jumper by Eric Pollitz put the RedHawks within three points twice, and a layup by freshman Dwight McCombs again put the RedHawks within three, 27-24, with 4:32 left in the half. Junior guard Kenny Hayes drained a 3-pointer at the 3:32 mark to knot the game, 27-27.

Tulsa ended the half on a 6-0 run to take a 33-27 lead into halftime. The Golden Hurricane continued its run into the second half, building a 40-27 lead by the 17:08 mark. Miami would get as close as 10 points off a Haddix 3-pointer at 10:46, 46-36. Tulsa, however, would lead by as many as 19 points and rolled to the 61-45 win.

Miami, who was without the services of leading scorer Michael Bramos due to a hand injury during the Mid-American Conference Tournament, had two players score in double figures. Haddix scored his 12 points in 12 minutes of action, going 4-for-6 from the field, while Eric Pollitz added six rebounds to his 10 points. Senior forward Tim Pollitz recorded eight points and a team-leading eight rebounds and three assists.

Tulsa was led by McDade with 22 points and six assists. Calvin Walls added 10 points and eight rebounds, while Jerome Jordan led all players with 12 rebounds.

The game capped a grueling day of travel for the RedHawks. With their Tuesday flights cancelled due to severe weather and with the rescheduling of flights to depart Indianapolis at 6:40 a.m. with half the travel party on one airline and the other half on another, the RedHawks began their day with a 5 a.m. departure from the airport hotel to the terminal.