Miami (Ohio) finished the regular season as the only unbeaten team in Division I men's basketball thanks to Eian Elmer scoring a career-high 32 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in a gritty 110-108 overtime victory over Ohio on Friday night.
Peter Suder scored five of his 13 points in overtime for Miami (31-0, 18-0 MAC), which is the third team in Division I history to enter a conference tournament 31-0, joining 2013-14 Wichita State and 2014-15 Kentucky, according to ESPN Research.
Trey Perry added 21 points and Brant Byers scored 15 for the RedHawks, who topped Akron for the league title.
Despite its magical season, Miami might need to win the conference tournament next week to guarantee a spot in the NCAA tournament.
Jackson Paveletzke led Ohio (15-16, 9-9) with a career-high 37 points. Javan Simmons scored 30, and Aidan Hadaway added 20. The Bobcats lost three straight to end the regular season.
Miami had a bumpy stretch during its previous dozen games, with four one-possession wins and two others that went to overtime. This time, the RedHawks needed some late heroics to win in Athens for the first time in 15 years.
Simmons' basket off a missed shot by teammate Kiir Kuany gave Ohio a 108-107 lead with 26 seconds left in overtime. Suder sank two free throws to put Miami ahead, and Justin Kirby made another for the final margin.
Paveletzke missed two shots in the final five seconds that could have given Ohio the lead, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
