OXFORD, Ohio - In the second matchup this week between the two teams, the Miami University men's basketball team (9-13, 3-8 MAC) fell to the University of Akron (15-6, 8-3 MAC) by a score of 71-59. Senior Mekhi Lairy led all scorers with 27 points, just one short of his career high.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Akron took an 8-4 lead in the early minutes, but the RedHawks responded with a 7-0 run coming out of the first media timeout, taking an 11-8 advantage.
• The score remained tight throughout the half as neither team led by more than four points. With Akron on top 28-24 in the final seconds, Isaiah Coleman-Lands collected one of his three steals and converted a pair of free throws, making the score 28-26 going into the break.
• In the second half, sophomore Kamari Williams bagged a three-pointer to give Miami a 31-30 lead, but Akron went on a 7-0 run to secure the lead for good.
• Despite 15 second-half points from Lairy, Akron managed to pull away for a 71-59 win.

NOTES

• Lairy matched his career high with four steals and made a career-high 10 field goals.
• Miami forced 17 Akron turnovers and outscored the Zips 21-4 in points off turnovers.
• The RedHawks scored 32 bench points compared to seven for Akron.

UP NEXT:
Miami continues its three-game homestand Tuesday, Feb. 8 when Western Michigan comes to Millett Hall. Tip time is set for 7 p.m.