The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
4-014-3; MAC
Miami (Ohio)
1-38-9; MAC
Akron Snaps Three Game Skid at Miami, Dambrot Earns 400th Win, 74-70
January 14 | Men's Basketball
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Oxford, Ohio – The Akron Zips overcame another nail biter for their first win at Millett Hall since Feb. 9, 2013, defeating Miami 74-70 to remain unbeaten in Mid-American Conference play. The win gave 13th-year head coach Keith Dambrot his 400th career victory at the collegiate level.
The Zips (14-3, 4-0) seemed to be cruising through the first half behind the sharpshooting of redshirt freshman Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas). Utomi shot 5-of-5 from behind the 3-point arc in the initial 20 minutes as Akron built its largest lead of 12 points by the 16-minute mark, 16-4.
The Zips maintained a double-digit through the midway point, and Akron controlled the scoreboard by nine points with 2:51 remaining as Utomi buried his fifth 3-pointer of the half, 42-33.Â
Unfortunately for the Zips, Miami (8-9, 1-3) closed out the final minutes with an 8-0 run, cutting Akron's lead to 42-41 at the break. Akron led the entire 20 minutes.
The second half was much different, featuring six lead changes and five tied scores. Miami started the scoring and established an early advantage with a field goal and a free throw, 44-42. Akron responded, but played from behind until junior guard Antino Jackson (Houston, Texas) tied the game at 46 apiece on an old-fashioned 3-point play at 15:58.
Senior Kwan Cheatham, Jr. (Cincinnati, Ohio) followed with a pair of free throws to give the Zips their first lead of the half, 48-46, but it didn't last long. On the ensuing possession, the RedHawks' Logan McLane connected from deep, and a second 3-pointer by Dion Wade pushed the Miami lead to four points, 52-48, with 13:15 left in the game.
Junior guard Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) broke the RedHawks momentum with a steal and layin, sparking a 6-0 run. Freshman guard Tavian Dunn-Martin (Huntington, W.Va.) followed with a layup, and Ivey cashed in a pair of bonus buckets for a 54-52 advantage.
Miami immediately tied the game and pushed the lead to as many as five points, 63-58, with 6:24 left to play. Over the next three minutes, the two teams battled back-and-forth, and Akron was able to close the gap for the game's fifth tied score, 66-66, at the 3:19 mark.
With 2:25 left in regulation, senior Isaiah Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio) lifted Akron to its final lead of the game after grabbing an offensive rebound and finishing of the window for two points, 68-66. Johnson followed with two made free throws to give the Zips a four-point lead with 1:48 remaining.
After junior Noah Robotham (Las Vegas, Nev.) added three points from the Charity stripe, Miami cut the Zips' lead to three points with a pair of made free throws. The RedHawks immediately applied defensive pressure and stole the inbounds pass for a chance to tie the game.
With Akron denying a long distance strike, McLane took the ball to the rim, but Cheatham was there to block the shot and recover the loose ball. He found Jackson for the outlet pass. Jackson was quickly fouled and recorded the Zips' final point with seven seconds remaining.
For the game, Akron caused 15 turnovers with a season-high 13 steals, while Miami won the battle of the boards 38-33. Akron shot 46.8 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from downtown as Miami managed to make 43.4 percent of their shots, including a 43.8 percent effort from deep.
Four Zips finished with double figures in scoring led by Utomi's career-high 15 points with a career-best three steals. Cheatham followed with 14 points, nine rebounds, and two blocked shots, while Ivey recorded 12 points with eight rebounds and three steals. Jackson rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points and added a career-best and game-high five steals. Johnson added eight points, five rebounds, a block, and a steal.
The Akron basketball team will continue Mid-American Conference play at James A. Rhodes Arena against Ohio on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 7:00 p.m. American Sports Network (ASN) will televise the game as Akron looks to extend its 25-game home court winning streak, which ranks No. 3 in the nation.
Fans can follow the action on ASN, GoZips.com via live stats, or by Zips' radio broadcast on Akron-IMG Sports Network available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.
