Four Zips Score in Double Figures to Claim Second Act Against Miami, 71-59

Sunday, February 6

4 PM

University of Akron

15-6,8-3MAC

Miami

9-13,3-8MAC

Akron

Miami (OH)

Four Zips Score in Double Figures to Claim Second Act Against Miami, 71-59

February 06 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Four Zips Score Double Figures to Claim Second Act Against Miami, 71-59
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OXFORD, Ohio – The Akron Zips recorded their second win over the Miami RedHawks in less than 48 hours as four players scored in double figures for Akron in the 71-59 win at Millett Hall on Sunday.

Sophomore Ali Ali (Kendallville, Ind.) paced the Zips' scoring with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor and a 3-of-4 effort from deep, marking his fourth 20-plus point performance of the season. Juniors Xavier Castaneda (Chicago, Ill.) and Bryan Trimble, Jr. (Kansas City, Mo.) followed with 15 and 13 points, respectively, while sophomore Greg Tribble (Cincinnati, Ohio) added 11 points.

Much like the first game 48 hours ago, the stat sheet does not tell the full story as Akron limited the RedHawks (9-13, 3-8 MAC) to just 30.8 percent shooting from the floor (8-of-26) and only 20 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (2-of-10) with a stifling defensive performance. However, Akron only led by two points at halftime, 28-26. The Zips (15-6, 8-3 MAC) shot 40.9 percent (9-of-22) from the floor and 4-of-9 from deep, including three from Trimble and one trifecta from Castaneda in the first stanza. Akron held a slight 17-15 edge on the glass.

Again, Akron elevated their level of play in the second half, outscoring the RedHawks 16-2 over 4:31 fueled eight points by Ali to support a 10-0 run. Ali buried a pair of triples separated by a strong post move. Ali went 3-of-3 from long distance in the second half.

In the final 20 minutes, the Zips knocked down 6-of-10 trifectas to shoot 60 percent from downtown and 13-of-20 from the field for a 65.0 shooting percentage from the field. Akron finished plus-16 on the glass, grabbing 36 total boards as sophomore Enrique Freeman (Cleveland, Ohio) secured 10 rebounds.

The Zips will have a quick turnaround, traveling to DeKalb, Ill. to play Northern Illinois on Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 8 p.m. (ET) or 7 p.m. (CT) on ESPN3. Fans can also follow the action on Akron Sports Radio Network on WHLO 640 AM with Dave Skoczen (PxP) and Joe Dunn (analyst) or live stats on GoZips.com.