 AKRON 82, MIAMI 75 (2 OT) Akron (21-12) has won nine of its last 11 games and advances to the semifinals for the sixth consecutive year. The Zips will face Western Michigan, which defeated Bowling Green in the first quarterfinal, 67-56.
BATTLE OF 'HIGH CHARACTER' TEAMS
“I thought when the game mattered, you had two groups of high character teams battling like there was no tomorrow.” Zips head coach Keith Dambrot said after the game. “I am proud of what our guys did. We have an iron chin; were just going to get pounded, and we keep coming back.”
McClanahan, a junior guard, led the UA attack with a game-high 20 points and nine rebounds. Seven of his points came in the two overtime periods. Senior forward Brett McKnight had 16 points coming off the bench, and junior forward Nikola Cvetinovic had 10 and seven boards before fouling out in the second half.
When asked about his three-pointer in second overtime, McClanahan said “The biggest thing for me is confidence. I had a bad five or six games, and he (Dambrot) said you need to shoot it.”
Miami (16-16) lost for the fourth time in its last six games. It was the RedHawks second loss in three tilts with UA this season.
“I want to praise my players.” Redhawks head man Charlie Coles said afterwards. “I know Akron won the game, but (we) turned a very dull game into an entertaining game. I think it was one of the better games in this tournament”
MAVUNGA PLAYS ALL 50 MINUTES
Sophomore guard Orlando Williams led the Redhawks with 16 points. Junior forward Julian Mavunga, who played all 50 minutes, had 14, along with 18 rebounds. It was his eighth double-double of the season and second against Akron this season. He had 14 points and 10 boards in a 72-55 loss to the Zips at Rhodes Arena on February 23.
The first half was all Akron as UA opened the game with an 11-2 run and built as much as a 10-point lead 18-8 on a three from the right arc by McClanahan. The Zips managed to build their lead despite going almost nine minutes without a field goal. After Miami narrowed the margin to 18-10 on a free throw by Mavunga, the Zips closed the half with an 8-0 run to take a 26-10 lead into halftime.
MU FIRST HALF TIES FUTILITY MARK
The first half was one that MU would like to forget. The 10 points scored tied a MAC Tournament record for fewest points in a half. They shot just 4-for-22 from the field (18.2%) and were 0-for-7 from three point range. “We were great defensively in the first half.” Dambrot said.
At the start of the second half, UA continued building its lead until it reached 20-points at 32-12 with 17:34 remaining on a put-back by sophomore center Zeke Marshall.
When senior forward Nick Winbush hit a three from the left arc at the 15:27 mark, it loosened the Redhawks up. They started to push the basketball and played with more flow.
Steadily, they started gnawing away at the Zips lead, getting the deficit down to double digits 44-35 with 9:48 remaining on two free throws by sophomore guard Allen Roberts.
UA pushed the lead back out to 10- 46-36 when Marshall made both ends of a one-and-one free throw, but MU kept coming as it fashioned a 12-2 run to close the margin to two, 50-48, with 4:28 remaining on a three from the left arc by Roberts.
REDHAWKS TAKE THEIR FIRST LEAD
The RedHawks took their first lead of the game, 55-54, at the 2:45 mark when Williams connected again, this time from the left arc. Williams was a perfect three-for-three from beyond the arc in the game en route to his 18 points.
The Zips responded with a pair of three-pointers, the first by Brett McKnight from the right arc and the second by McClanahan, also from the right side to push UA back into the lead 60-55 with 1:33 remaining.
After both teams made two free throws, UA still held a 62-57 lead with 24.9 seconds remaining. But junior reserve Chris McHenry hit a three to close to 62-60 at the 18.7 second mark. Brett McKnight was fouled but could only make one of two free throws to inch the Zips lead back to 63-60 at the 15.3 second mark.
MU got the ball down the court and found freshman reserve Jon Harris who connected on a three from the left corner with 2.2 seconds remaining to tie the game 63-63. UA got the ball up quickly and senior guard Steve McNees tried a three from the left arc that missed and sent the game into overtime.
The second half was a total reversal of fortune for the RedHawks as they scored a phenomenal 53 points, shooting 55.6% from the field (15-for-27) while going 7-for-12 from three-point range. Williams had 13 points in the second half while Roberts added 11 after being scoreless in the first 20 minutes.
In the first overtime session, MU built a three-point lead on baskets by Roberts, McHenry and a free throw by Mavunga 68-65. The Zips countered with a jumper by McClanahan and a put-back from sophomore reserve Quincy Diggs to regain the lead 69-68.
Harris again came up with a key basket a jumper to give the Hawks the lead back at 70-69. After Brett McKnight was fouled by Williams (his fifth of the game), he made both free throws to give the Zips the lead back, 71-70, with 47.8 seconds remaining.
MISSED FREE THROWS PROVE CRUCIAL
One of the key moments of the game occurred with 35.1 seconds remaining when Roberts was fouled by Diggs trying to shoot a three from the left side. He was awarded three free throws. During the season, Roberts was an 81 percent shooter from the charity stripe, but he missed two of three, only tying the score at 71-71.
Both teams had a chance to win it in the closing moments. First freshman guard Alex Abreu drove down the baseline and missed a layup. Mavunga grabbed the rebound and got the ball up to Harris, who tried a three from the right side but missed, sending the game into a second overtime.
In the second five minutes, the two teams exchanged the lead but then a second key moment in the outcome of the game came with 2:59 remaining when McNees fouled Mavunga, who missed both free throws. McClanahan grabbed the rebound, getting the ball to Abreu, who connected on a three from the top of they key to give UA the lead for good at 77-75 at the 2:43 mark.
Miami again went to the free throw line with 1:07 remaining when Roberts was fouled by senior Mike Bardo. But Roberts also missed both free throws, All in all, MU missed its last eight shots from the foul line. In the two overtimes, the Redhawks were just 2-for-11
“It’s a shame that we lost. Right now we have nothing to show for our season.” Coles said.
ZIPS PULL AWAY
McClanahan then hit a three from the right arc with 31 seconds remaining, and two Brett McKnight free throws sealed Miami’s fate. The Zips moved on for the second consecutive year with a quarterfinal win in double-overtime. Last year they defeated Eastern Michigan 92-85.
The game turned into a battle of attrition as UA had three players foul out. Marshall. Cvetinovic, and Bardo went to the bench for Akron, while Winbush and Williams both were disqualified for MU. The pace and the action took its toll on both sides with everyone grasping for air at the end.
“It takes a lot out of you playing double overtime.” Brett McKnight said. “We didn’t close it out. We made some mistakes and the foul trouble hurt us.”
The Zips defeated the Broncos in their only regular-season meeting at Rhodes Arena on February 9, 83-71 and last met them in the tournament in 2008 semifinals. The ended with a 73-62 Akron victory. “We’ll be ready for them.” Brett McKnight said.
UPON FURTHER REVIEW
KEY MOMENT: In the second overtime, when Miami missed six consecutive free throws that allowed Akron to take the lead for good on a three-pointer by Alex Abreu and subsequent three by Brett McClanahan.
STAR OF THE GAME: BRETT MCCLANAHAN-AKRON. The junior guard from Nitro, West Virginia led all scorers with 20 points and nine rebounds with an assist and a steal, but it was key three at the end that moved the Zips into the semi-finals
KEY STAT OF THE GAME: 1) Miami scoring 53 points in the second half. 2) Miami going 2-for-11 in overtime from the free throw line. 3) Akron winning the rebound battle 53-40
NOTES: The game was the fourth ever meeting in MAC Tournament play (tied 2-2) and the third time the teams have met this season (Akron winning two of them)…46th lifetime meeting with Akron winning 8 of the last 10 meetings, but Miami still holds a slim 24-22 advantage…Akron is 15-12 lifetime in MAC Tournament play…12-7 lifetime mark at Quicken Loans Arena…UA head coach Keith Dambrot is 14-6 lifetime in MAC Tournament play…11-9 lifetime against Miami and 11-6 lifetime against Charlie Coles…Miami is 36-26 lifetime in MAC Tournament play
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