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PITTSBURGH — Miami University senior Tyler Dierkers said the RedHawks can take at least a little pride in the fact that they played so well in three out of the four halves against two of the top-six ranked teams in the nation.

He just wishes the last of those four halves wasn't such a flop.

Miami stayed with No. 4 UCLA for the entire game in its 64-59 loss last week and made a strong comeback in the first half against No. 6 Pittsburgh on Monday, Nov. 17 after watching the Panthers score the first nine points of the game.

But then the Panthers blew out the RedHawks in the second half, outscoring them 47-23.

That disastrous half and the 82-53 thumping they suffered as a result, Dierkers said, makes Miami's next game all the more important. The RedHawks will play at Wright State next Monday, Nov. 24.

"We learned a lot about our team in these two games," Dierkers said, "and now we have a week off and then we have Wright State, which is a must win to get us back rolling and get our confidence back again."

So what did the RedHawks learn?

"When we played well in all of the UCLA and in the first half tonight," Dierkers said, "we showed we have an extreme amount of fight in our team, and we really played well off each other."

Coles liked the way his team played in the first half against Pitt. "We fought back ... We hustled," he said.

Drilling and grinding

It's difficult to say which event is the more troubling for Pitt coach Jamie Dixon — an upcoming visit to the dentist, or an impending game with the Miami RedHawks.

"The word is out," Dixon said after Monday's game. "I've heard phrases used a couple times. (Playing Miami) is like sitting in a chair for a couple hours at the dentist's office."

The Panthers coach would disagree.

"It's more like 72 hours, the way they grind you out," Dixon said.

Notable numbers

On the plus side, Miami's Kenny Hayes went 9-for-9 from the foul line.

On the minus side, the RedHawks hit only 25 percent of their field goal attempts in the second half (7-for-28).

Bravo for Ballard

Sophomore Antonio Ballard continued his strong play for the RedHawks. He came off the bench to contribute 10 points, hit 2-of-5 shots from the 3-point arc, grab six rebounds and record two steals.

He also had a highlight-reel play late in the second half, a steal followed by a twisting, lightning-fast dunk.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.