FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - Nike Sibande posted 19 points as Miami (Ohio) held off Purdue Fort Wayne 84-80 on Wednesday night.
Sibande, who returned to the RedHawks (1-1) after declaring for the NBA draft and going through summer workouts, made 7 of 13 from the field and 4 for 4 from the free-throw line. He’s scored 43 points to lead Miami scorers in the first two games.
Dalonte Brown had 17 points, Precious Ayah added 12 points and nine rebounds and Isaiah Coleman-Lands had 11 points for Miami.
The RedHawks were up 11 after a Milos Jovic 3-pointer with 2:55 remaining - just enough to hold off the Mastodons, who closed on a 13-9 run. The teams combined to make 14 of 14 free throws down the stretch.
Mekhi Lairy, who was second on the RedHawks in scoring heading into the matchup with 21 points per game, scored only eight points, but hit two key free throws with eight seconds left.
Brian Patrick had 23 points and six rebounds for the Mastodons (1-3). Matt Holba added 18 points. Jarred Godfrey had 17 points.
Miami (Ohio) takes on Alabama A&M at home on Saturday. Purdue Fort Wayne takes on Stetson at home on Saturday.
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Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com
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