CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP)—Michael Bramos scored 19 points and Tim Pollitz added 17 to lead Miami of Ohio to a 61-58 overtime road upset of struggling Illinois Thursday.
Bramos scored 14 of his points after halftime, including a 3-pointer with 2:23 left in extra time to ice the win for Miami of Ohio (6-4).
Pollitz, two nights removed from a career-high 26 points in a win over Chicago State, helped the RedHawks turn what could have been another in a string of close losses into a win. None of the RedHawks’ four losses has been by more than four points and it has lost two games by a single point.
Senior center Shaun Pruitt led Illinois (6-4), losers of three of its last five games, with 24 points and 15 rebounds. Senior forward Brian Randle added 14 points.
The Illini trailed for all but the last few seconds of the second half’s last 10 minutes.
Down by four points at 52-48 with 49 seconds left, Randle drove the lane and laid in easy shot to cut the lead to two.
Twenty-two seconds later Randle grabbed a rebound in the lane and dropped it in for a 52-52 tie and extra time.
Miami looked to its bench in overtime. And that’s where it found Bramos, who hit a pair of free throws in front of a loud Assembly Hall crowd, along with the 3-pointer that won the game.
