Coral Gables, Fla. - The Stetson men's basketball team took on its second ACC opponent of the season Sunday afternoon, yet this time fell short 68-54 to the University of Miami in Coral Gables. Sophomore Ridge Graham (Stuart, Fla.) led Stetson (3-5) with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Adrian Thomas (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) led Miami (7-2) with 13. The Hatters are now 33-48 against UM with their last win coming in 1971 (91-76 on 2/8/71).
By the percentages the game was close to even. As a team the Hatters shot 41% (21-for-51) from the field and 28% (5-of-18) from three-point range while the Hurricanes finished at 42% (22-of-52) and 38% (8-for-21). The largest discrepancy came at the line where Miami was able to complete 16 of 21 opportunities, compared to 7-of-12 for Stetson.
After falling behind by as many as 25 points with 11:08 remaining in the second half Stetson did not cave and finished with a 26-15 run to finish with a 14 point deficit.
"I was proud of our effort coming down the stretch. We had a chance to hang our heads and we didn't do that", said Stetson head coach Derek Waugh. "Overall we didn't play great though and to win a game like this you have to play great."
Eight of the ten Hatters that saw floor time produced at least two points. After Ridge Graham's 14 freshman Corey Walden (Ormond Beach, Fla.) added nine points (3-of-6 on 3-pointers) followed by freshman Luis Jacobo (Sanford, Fla.) and sophomore Tyshawn Patterson (Orlando, Fla.) each with eight. Freshman Steve Forbes (Clermont, Fla.) put in a strong effort down low and knocked down a pair of short jumpers. For the 7th time in eight games the Hatters outscored their opponents in the paint (24-22).
Although both teams gave the ball up a total of 18 times in the game, it seemed as though Stetson's turnovers came at advantageous times for the home team.
"We had some crucial turnovers that really cost us today", said Waugh. "When we take care of the ball we really play well."
"In the first half we were playing right with them, in fact we were probably playing better and getting stops, we just couldn't score", he added.
Stetson held its own early in the first half as Aaron Graham buried a jumper at 15:02 to give the Hatters a 9-4 lead and later a jump hook by Steve Forbes at 10:59 made the score 11-8 for the visitors. Over the next 10 minutes improved shooting by the Hurricanes led to a 27-11 run and a 31-20 lead at the break.
Stetson picked up 10 steals on the night including three by Walden and three by Aaron Graham (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.).
Next up the Hatters will travel to Tallahassee on Wednesday, December 15 to take on Florida State. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Florida at 9:00 p.m. Stetson fans can also hear the game on Hatter Vision with 17-year veterans Murray Miller and Harry Arnold calling the action. Also be sure to follow the Hatters on Twitter at @StetsonSID (twitter.com/stetsonsid), "like" Stetson Athletics on Facebook and check out the official YouTube channel at youtube.com/stetsonhatters.
