Jan. 19, 2011

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OXFORD, Ohio -- Junior forward Julian Mavunga scored a career-high 25 points and Nick Winbush and Antonio Ballard each had a double-double to lead Miami to an 84-76 victory over Akron Wednesday night at Millett Hall.

Mavunga, who hit 6-of 11-from the field and 12-of-15 free throws, added six reboundsand four assists. Ballard tallied 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Winbush chipped in 11 points and 12 boards. It marked the first game since Feb. 4, 2006 at Buffalo that two Miami players posted double-doubles in a game.

Miami (8-10 overall, 3-1 in the MAC) jumped out to a 7-0 lead, but the Zips (10-8, 1-3) quickly responded with 10 straight points to open a three-point lead. After the teams traded baskets, Orlando Williams hit a three-pointer to put the RedHawks up for good, 14-12 at the 11:49 mark. Akron closed to within 17-15 just over a minute later, but Ballard tipped in a missed shot to start a 10-0 run. Williams, who finished with 12 points, hit back-to-back threes during the rally.

Akron hit just 31.8 percent and was outrebounded 19-16 in the opening period, helping the RedHawks to 39-28 lead at the break.

Miami pushed the advantage to 14 early in the second and led 55-41 with 13:31 remaining when the Zips rallied. They scored seven straight points to close to 55-48 by the 11:48 mark. Later, the RedHawks used a Allen Roberts layup and a Winbush three to build the lead back to 14, 64-50, with 7:34 left. Akron's final rally came on the heels of a 5-0 run that made the score 72-65 at the 3:24 mark, but Miami made 12 of 16 free throws over the remaining clock to preserve the victory.

The RedHawks finished the game with a 42-31 rebounding advantage that included 15 offensive boards.

Miami now hits the road for a pair of games beginning Sunday afternoon at Kent State. The 2 p.m. contest will be aired live on Sports Time Ohio.