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MIAMI (FLA) 69, AKRON 61

MC KNIGHT LEADS RUN
Senior Brett McKnight led a furious comeback for the Zips (7-5), scoring 16 of his season-high 20 points in the second half and 14-straight during a five minute, 16-0 Akron run.  Brett McClanahan had 11 points while Nikola Cvetinovic finished the game with 10 points and seven boards. Freshman guard Alex Abreu was voted to the all-tournament team.
 
For the game, Akron shot 33.9 percent from the floor (21-for-62) and 22.2 percent from behind the arc (6-for-27).  The Hurricanes (10-3) closed the contest shooting 42.0 percent (21-for-50) from the floor and 9.1 percent from long range (1-for-11).  The Zips held a 41-40 rebounding advantage and forced 15 Miami turnovers.
 
The game would be delayed for more than 13 minutes at the 4:51 mark due to a shot clock malfunction.  Miami came out of the stoppage to extend its lead to 65-53 with 1:16 to go.  A Steve McNees 3-pointer with 27.4 left cut the lead to 67-58.  A McClanahan 3-pointer with 5.4 seconds on the clock finished scoring.
 
The Zips opened the second half trying to chisel away at the Miami lead and would cut it to 49-35 at the 12:20 mark thanks to back-to-back lay-ups by Cvetinovic and McKnight.  After seeing the Hurricane lead climb to 57-35 with 10:08 to go, the Zips used a 16-0 run over the next 4:48 to cut the lead to 57-51 at the 5:20 mark.  McKnight scored 14-straight points for Akron during the run.  A Miami bucket ended the run at the 4:51 mark with the Hurricanes leading 59-51.
 
EARLY STRUGGLES
The Zips struggled early from the field, trailing 22-9 at the midway point of the first half. Miami’S lead grew to as much as 19 points before the half ended with the Hurricanes holding a 38-22 advantage.
 
Akron closed the opening 20 minutes shooting 29.2 percent from the floor (7-for-24) and was 0-for-6 from 3-point range.  The Hurricanes opened the contest shooting 40 percent from the floor (12-for-30) and 14.3 percent from long distance (1-for-7).
 
Cvetinovic led the Zips with six points and three boards at the half.  Zeke Marshall pitched in with four points and five boards, but saw limited time due to foul trouble.

HOME STAND
The Zips return to Akron for some much-needed time at home, opening a four-game home stand on Dec. 29 when they play host to Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Rhodes Arena.  Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET.
 
NOTES: After making 19-of-36 3-pointers in the first half of the last two games (.528), the Zips opened the game going 0-for-6 from behind the arc in the first half … sophomore center Zeke Marshall did not record a block for the first time this season.

Courtesy of Akron Athletics