Mekhi Lairy’s layup with 12.4 seconds remaining lifted Miami of Ohio to a season-opening 72-69 victory over host Georgia Tech on Tuesday in Atlanta.
Lairy’s game-winning shot capped a night in which the RedHawks rallied from a 67-61 deficit with 2:53 remaining.
Lairy finished with a team-high 23 points on 9-for-19 shooting for the RedHawks. Dae Dae Grant added 15 points, Dalonte Brown chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds, and Precious Ayah posted 10 points.
Georgia Tech was led by Michael Devoe, who scored a game-high 26 points on 8-of-18 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, while his teammates went a combined 0-for-11 on 3-point shooting. Rodney Howard scored 10 points to go along with a game-high 13 rebounds, while Jordan Usher just missed a double-double for the Yellow Jackets, finishing with 12 points and nine rebounds.
After Lairy rebounded and scored on Grant’s missed jumper, Georgia Tech’s Deivon Smith missed a shot jump shot on Georgia Tech’s ensuing possession, with Brown grabbing the rebound. He made two free throws with 1.4 seconds remaining for a 72-69 lead.
Georgia Tech led 55-48 after Kyle Sturdivant’s two free throws with 10:27 remaining, but the RedHawks rallied to pull to within 63-61 on Brown’s free throws with 3:55 remaining.
However, Howard made back-to back baskets to push the lead to 67-61 with 2:53 remaining.
Georgia Tech led by as many as eight points in the first half before the RedHawks rallied to tie the game at 33 at halftime.
Devoe scored 18 points on 6-for-11 shooting in the first half, while Usher added six points. The Yellow Jackets shot 41.9 percent (13-for-31) in the first half, including making just four of their 13 3-point attempts, all by Devoe.
Miami of Ohio was led by Lairy’s 14 points on 5-for-11 shooting in the opening 20 minutes, with Ayah adding seven points by making all three of his field-goal attempts. However, the RedHakws shot an abysmal 2-for-13 from beyond the arc.
–Field Level Media
