CLEVELAND -- Michael Bramos scored 23 points and Tim Pollitz added 20 as Miami (Ohio) held off Buffalo upset bid for a 69-68 win in the opening round of the Mid-American Conference tournament on Wednesday.
Twelfth-seeded Buffalo (10-20) held a 51-42 lead with 12:11 to play, but Bramos scored eight points down the stretch, while Pollitz added seven and made a big steal in the last minute.
Miami took the lead for good, 60-59, on Kenny Hayes' jumper at the 2:58 mark. The RedHawks made seven of eight free throws in the final minute to seal the win. Pollitz's two free throws with 2.9 seconds left gave Miami a 69-65 lead.
Rodney Pierce, who led Buffalo with 16 points, hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut the final margin to one.
The fifth-seeded RedHawks (16-14) played without head coach Charlie Coles, who was in the hospital following an unspecified heart procedure. Coles, 66, had bypass surgery in 1986 and went into cardiac arrest at the MAC tournament in 1998.
Miami won despite being out-rebounded, 44-25. The RedHawks made 22-of-48 shots while the Bulls were 26-of-65 from the field.
Miami plays Ohio in the quarterfinals Thursday.
