Feb. 23, 2011
Final Stats
AKRON, Ohio - Junior forward Julian Mavunga posted a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, but it was not enough as Akron pulled away in the second half for a 72-55 victory over Miami on Wednesday evening.
The loss put the RedHawks (14-14; 9-4 Mid-American Conference) a half game behind Kent State, who plays on Thursday night, atop the East Division standings. The Zips improved to 18-10 overall and 8-5 in the MAC.
Freshman guard Josh Sewell tallied 11 points, while junior guard Chris McHenry added nine points. Sophomore guard Orlando Williams dished out a career-high-tying five assists.
Miami put the first points on the board on a Sewell layup at the 17:34 mark and led nearly the entire half. A pair of McHenry treys helped push the RedHawk lead to nine points with 9:37 to play, 20-11. The Zips went on a 10-2 run over the next three minutes to cut the margin to one, 22-21, with 6:22 remaining. Another McHenry 3-pointer and a Mavunga layup with 5:29 remaining extended the RedHawks' lead to six points, 27-21.
Miami did not score again in the remainder of the opening half and did not hit its next field goal until the 17:55 mark of the second stanza as the Zips rattled off 12 unanswered points. Akron took its first lead of the game with 45 seconds left in the first half on a Nikola Cvetinovic layup, sending the Zips into the locker room with a two-point advantage, 29-27.
Akron held a six-point lead, 33-27, until a Mavunga layup at 17:55 halted the Zip run. Akron pushed its lead to double digits by the 14:08 mark, 41-31. Sophomore guard Allen Roberts nailed a 3-pointer and Mavunga put together a three-point play to put Miami within four points of the Zips with 12:52 remaining, 41-37. That would be as close as the RedHawks would get as Akron rolled to the 17-point win.
Cvetinovic paced the Zips with 21 points and nine rebounds.
Mavunga's double-double was his fifth of the season and 11th of his career. Freshman guard Quinten Rollins saw his first action since sustaining an injury during practice at Central Michigan on Jan. 27.
Miami returns to action in a key nationally-televised conference game when the RedHawks host Bowling Green at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26.
