 AKRON 72, MIAMI 55 WINNING STREAK KEEPS ZIPS MOVING UP LADDER
Akron (18-10, 8-5 MAC) has now won seven of its last eight games, including six straight on the home floor, to get back into the thick of the MAC Eastern Division race. On the short term, UA moved into sole possession of third place pending the Buffalo-Kent State game Thursday night.
“We continue to fight adversity; our guys have fought through from being a pathetic team to a pretty decent team now.” Zips head coach Keith Dambrot said after the game. “You have to give credit to our four seniors leading the way with that.”
The key stretch in the game came after MU junior forward Julian Mavunga scored on a layup to give the visitors a 27-21 lead at the 5:27 mark. Akron scored the last eight points of the period to take its first lead of the game, 29-27, on a driving layup by Cvetinovic with 47.3 seconds remaining.
Akron took that lead into the locker room and continued its run as the second half opened. Baskets by senior Mike Bardo and junior forward Nikola Cvetinovic opened a six-point lead, 33-27. After the decisive 14-2 run, UA was never headed.
AKRON MAKING HABIT OF BIG RUNS
It marked the third time during this winning streak the Zips had used a big run to take control of a contest. In their win over Western Michigan, it was an 11-2 run late in the first half. Against Ball State, it was a 14-0 run in the second half that was difference.
Cvetinovic led all scorers in the contest with 21 points (14 coming in the second half) and also had nine rebounds. Senior forward Brett McKnight came off the bench to score 15 points and collect six boards. Senior guard Steve McNees added 14.
“We got three games remaining.” he said. “We want to win those three. Then the train stops and it’s a new season (the 2011 FirstEnergy MAC Men’s Basketball Tournament) -- a new three games.”
LEADING THE WAY AS OF LATE
Cvetinovic has been one of the big keys in UA’s turnaround as he has scored in double figures in four of the last five games and led the team in rebounding the last nine games, moving into the top ten in the conference bashing the boards.
Miami (14-14, 9-4 MAC) fell for the second consecutive game after a five-game winning streak. The RedHawks lost Saturday at James Madison in an ESPNU Bracketbusters matchup, 70-69.
“The turning point in the game was when they (Akron) started to mix up their defenses.” RedHawks head man Charlie Coles said afterwards. “They completely confused us, and I take responsibility for that. As a coach you have to get your team prepared for those kind of things.”
Mavunga led MU with 14 points and 10 rebounds -- his fifth double-double of the season and second straight against MAC competition. He had 17 points and 17 rebounds in MU’s 86-80 overtime win over Kent State February 16. Freshman guard Josh Sewell added 11.
TOUGH GOING EARLY
The game started out with both defenses showing their mettle. However, it was the visitors from Oxford who took the lead and held it for almost the entire first half, building as much as a nine-point lead, 20-11, at the 9:37 mark on a three-pointer from the left arc by Chris McHenry. The junior guard scored nine points, all on threes in the first half.
“The game started slow early because both teams guarded early.” Dambrot said. UA missed its first six shots from the floor before McKnight made a first field goal on a twisting tough layup at the 15:52 mark. Each time the Zips got close during early play, Miami had an answer.
UA was outshot and outrebounded for most of the first 20 minutes. But by halftime, the Zips’ defense put Miami under 50 percent from the floor (11-for-26 42.3%). Moreover, Akron reduced the RedHawks rebounding advantage (as much as eight) to one carom (18-17).
The Zips built as much as a 10-point lead, 41-31, with 14:07 remaining when sophomore center Zeke Marshall put back a missed shot from Quincy Diggs. In fact, the closest MU would get for the remainder of the contest was four points with 12:53 remaining on a conventional three-point play by Mavunga.
UA’s largest lead of the contest was 18 points 72-54 with 32.1 seconds remaining when McNees put an exclamation point to the contest with a three-pointer from the left arc to give the Zips a split of the season series with Miami and their sixth straight over the ‘Hawks at home.
UA HAS HOT HAND IN SECOND HALF
The Zips got hot in the second half as they shot 60 percent from the floor (15-for-25), finishing the game just a tick below 50 percent (26-for-54 48.1%), Miami cooled to just 8-for-22 in the second half and 19-of-48 for the game (39.6%).
One key in the loss for MU was senior Nick Winbush’s foul trouble. He had been the second scoring option, hitting double-digits in his last four games. But he was hit with two fouls within the first eleven minutes of the game and was forced to sit. He then picked up two within the first five minutes of the second half and was a non-factor, scoring just two points and four rebounds -- his lowest point total of the season.
“They turned the tables on us rebounding” Coles said. After beating UA back on January 19th at Millett Hall 84-76, Coles said that people had not seen the real Akron Zips yet. They might have now.
Both teams return to action on Saturday night, UA plays its final regular-season home game against Buffalo, while Miami faces Bowling Green in Oxford.
UPON FURTHER REVIEW
KEY MOMENT: Akron’s 14-2 run that spanned both halves to erase a six-point deficit, turning it into a six-point lead. UA held the lead from that point on.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: ALEX ABREU-AKRON. The freshman from Bayamon, Puerto Rico scored just eight points in the contest, but in the first half he hit a pair of three-pointers to negate the three by Miami’s Chris McHenry that help built the ‘Hawks nine-point lead 20-11. In addition, Abreu had three assists to become just the seventh player in UA history to have 100 assists in a season.
KEY STAT OF THE GAME: Akron winning the rebound battle 38-26 (including a 21-8 margin in the second half) after being out-rebounded by as much as eight in the first half
NOTES: The game was the 46th lifetime meeting with Miami holding a narrow 24-21 advantage although UA has won five of the last six meetings…Four of Akron’s last five wins at home have all been in double digits (the lone exception was the nine point win over Creighton on Saturday night)…Akron is 4-3 so far this season against the MAC East, winning their last three, and has won their last five MAC games overall…UA head coach Keith Dambrot improves to 10-10 lifetime against Miami (9-6 at Akron) and is 10-6 lifetime against Charlie Coles…In their non-conference schedule, Miami has played the top four teams in this week’s ESPN-USA TODAY College Basketball poll (Duke, Kansas, Ohio State, San Diego State)…The loss was Miami’s first road loss in MAC play since January 23 at Kent State 78-57…Josh Sewell-MIA has scored in double digits in three of his last four games…Coles is now 17-17 lifetime against Akron.
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