Feb. 17, 2010
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OXFORD, Ohio - After overcoming a nine-point second-half deficit to grab its first lead of the game, the Miami University men's basketball team was unable to hold off the Akron Zips, as the RedHawks fell, 61-56, Wednesday night at Millett Hall. With the loss, Miami (11-15, 8-5 Mid-American Conference) dropped its first MAC home game of the season while the Zips (20-7, 10-3 MAC) won their fifth straight game overall.
Senior guard Kenny Hayes led Miami with a game-high 16 points (10 in the second half) while also grabbing six boards and senior center Adam Fletcher chipped in 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Sophomore forward/center Julian Mavunga pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds while junior forward Nick Winbush swatted four shots. The McKnight brothers combined for 25 points to lead Akron with Brett scoring 13 and Chris adding 12.
The RedHawks shot 42.3 percent (22-of-52) for the game but went 0-for-15 from the three-point line, snapping a streak of 55 straight games with at least one triple. Miami finished 12-of-16 from the charity stripe, however, but managed just four assists compared to 11 miscues. Akron, meanwhile, hit at a 41.5 percent clip, going 3-for-15 from distance, but handed out 15 assists with just 10 turnovers. Thirty-six of the RedHawks' 56 points came in the paint.
The Zips jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first 3:16 of the contest and the teams traded buckets until back-to-back layups by Fletcher cut the Akron lead to two at 16-14 with 8:46 remaining in the half. The Miami deficit stayed between four and seven points over the next five minutes but with Akron again leading by six, 27-21, Mavunga chipped in a layup and a pair of free throws to once more draw the 'Hawks within two at 27-25 with 1:24 left in the half. After a Brett McKnight lay-in, junior guard Rodney Haddix split the defense to make a driving layup in the closing seconds, sending Miami into the break down just two, 29-27.
In the second half, a pair of Brett McKnight free throws and triple from Darryl Roberts pushed the Zips' advantage to nine at 42-33 with 15:05 on the clock, but a Hayes layup and a rim-rocker by Fletcher, his second of the game, sparked a 7-0 Miami burst to get back within two just two minutes later. After Hayes knocked down a pair of jumpers in between six points from Akron, Haddix sank two freebies and Winbush hit the front end of a pair of charity-stripe tosses to close the gap to one, 48-47, with 6:24 to play.
With Miami down two, freshman guard Allen Roberts converted an old-fashioned three-point play to give the 'Hawks their first lead of the contest, 50-49, with under five minutes left on the clock. The Zips answered with a 6-0 run, however, to grab a five-point cushion. A Mavunga lay-in followed by a Roberts runner cut the deficit to one, but Roberts was called for a foul following the shot and Chris McKnight hit both freebies to put Akron on top 57-54 with two minutes remaining. Anthony Hitchens than tacked on a back-door layup with 23 ticks to go to give the Zips a five-point cushion, which led to the 61-56 final score.
The RedHawks return to the hardwood Saturday to wrap up their two-game homestand as they step out of conference for their ESPN BracketBuster game against Southeast Missouri State. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. and will follow Miami's women's basketball against Buffalo as part of a doubleheader at Millett Hall.
--MURedHawks.com--
