Feb. 24, 2005
Box Score
AKRON, Ohio--Chet Mason led all scorers with 23 points and hauled in a career-high 15 rebounds, and William Hatcher sunk a 3-pointer with two seconds left to send the game into overtime, but it was not enough as Miami University's men's basketball team came up short at Akron, 55-49.
Miami dropped to 17-7 overall and 11-4 in Mid-American Conference play, while Akron improved to 17-7 overall and 10-5 in MAC action. Miami still holds a one-game lead in first place in the overall and East Division MAC race.
Miami led by as many as four points twice in the first half, the first coming at 14:09, 7-3, off a Nathan Peavy layup and the second at 12:28, 9-5, off a pair of Danny Horace made free throws. The teams battled it out over the first 20 minutes and Miami managed to take a one point lead into the half, 20-19.
No team led by more than three points after Miami's early four-point edge until overtime. The teams went back and forth throughout the second half with a total of nine tied scores in the second 20 minutes of play. Mason scored 16 of his game-high 23 points in the second half, notching 14 consecutive points for the RedHawks from the 10:55 mark to the 2:50 mark. Hatcher sunk a jumper with 1:10 left to tie the game for the eighth time in the second half, 44-44, but a layup by Romeo Travis handed the Zips a two-point edge with 49 seconds remaining. Miami turned the ball over on its next possession and Dru Joyce connected on the second of two free-throw attempts to extend the Zip lead to three with 10 seconds remaining. With time winding down on the clock, Hatcher drained the trey that would send the game into overtime with the score tied, 47-47.
Akron's Rob Preston hit a 3 pointer with 4:33 left in overtime and then hit the first of two free-throws at the 3:22 mark to put the Zips up four, 51-47. Nate VanderSluis was fouled and sunk both free throws to cut the gap to two with 2:42 left, 51-49, but those would be the only points Miami would get in overtime as the Zips went on to post the 55-49 win.
Travis led the Zips with 20 points and six rebounds.
Miami returns to action at noon on Sunday, Feb. 27 when the RedHawks travel to Bowling Green, Ohio, to clash with the Bowling Green Falcons.
