Miami Upends Akron in Second Half, 68-61

Saturday, January 19

Oxford, OH

3:30 pm

University of Akron

Miami

January 19 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

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Oxford, Ohio – The Akron Zips men's basketball team was outscored 38-31 in the second half of Saturday's game which led to a 68-61 setback on the road to Miami at Millett Hall.

Akron (10-8, 2-3 MAC) and Miami (9-9, 1-4 MAC) were deadlocked at intermission, 30-30, as the RedHawks pulled away for their first league win. Darrian Ringo and Bam Bowman led Miami's scoring with 16 and 14 points, respectively.

The Zips had four players score in double figures led by junior Tyler Cheese (Albany, Ga.) with 17 points. He shot 6-of-14 from the field, 5-of-5 from the free throw line and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

Sophomore Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.) followed with a 13-point performance, while senior Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) and junior Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas) chipped in 11 and 12, respectively.

Cheese opened the game with an old-fashioned 3-point play and Jackson followed with a trifecta to give the Zips an early 6-2 advantage. Akron fell behind 10-6 after an 8-0 run by the home team (10-6) with 15:28 showing on the clock.

Akron reclaimed the lead, scoring eight consecutive points in the paint. Utomi, Cheese, Jackson, and junior Channel Banks (Las Vegas, Nev.) all scored during that stretch which gave the Zips a 14-12 lead with 11:09 to play in the first half.

Akron continued to play with a lead, extending it to as many as seven points, 26-19, thanks to a Utomi trifecta. The RedHawks battled back. Miami outscored Akron 11-4 in the last five minutes to create the halftime stalemate.

The first half showcased eight lead changes and four tied scores. Akron went 12-of-28 from the field (.429) with a 3-of-13 (.231) effort from deep, while Miami connected on 11-of-26 shots from the floor (.423) and 5-of-14 (.357) from long distance.

The Zips controlled the scoreboard for the initial 10 minutes of the second stanza, pushing the lead back to as many as seven points, 43-36 with 13:01 remaining. Akron went the next five-plus minutes without scoring until Ivey buried a pair of free throws at the 7:34 mark.

During Akron's scoring draught, Miami score 11 points to take a 47-45 lead. Jalen Adaway started the run with a 2-point field goal followed by a pair of triples from Milos Jovic and Ringo.

After Ivey tried to put out the fire with the bonus buckets, Miami's Dalonte Brown and Bam Bowman connected from deep for a 53-45 lead. Ringo added a layin, giving the RedHawks a 10-point advantage with 5:58 left to play.

Akron cut the deficit to five points with 1:09 showing on the clock, but the RedHawks closed out the game making 7-of-9 free throws and a breakaway dunk for the win.

Miami's bench outscored Akron 12-2, while the Zips 30-62 margin in the paint, 16-12 second chance points, and 11-8 fast break points.

Akron will be back at James A. Rhodes Arena for a two-game homestand against Central Michigan and Northern Illinois. On Tuesday, Jan. 22, the Zips play host to the Chippewas at 7 p.m., and on Saturday, Jan. 16, at 5 p.m., Akron will play the Huskies following the Akron women's game.

Both games are scheduled to be aired on ESPN+ and Akron-IMG Sports Radio Network 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship) with Steve French calling the action and Joe Dunn providing analysis. The free audio stream is available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.

ZIPS LIVE
Zips LIVE, presented by Lee Hyder and Associates, is Akron's radio show airing live from the Spaghetti Warehouse (510 South Main Street) with men's basketball head coach John Groce and women's basketball head coach Melissa Jackson and host Bill Morgan. The weekly hour-long radio show covering Zips Athletics airs locally on Akron-IMG Sports Network flagship Fox Sports Radio 1350 AM (WARF). Podcasts are available on GoZips.com and iHeart Radio.

Zips Basketball Weekly with... John Groce
Zips Basketball Weekly with John Groce presented by Wentz Financial Group is Akron's weekly television show, airing Tuesday nights at 7 PM on SportsTime Ohio with head coach John Groce and host Joe Dunn. Watch replays on www.GoZips.com.