Recap: Akron Defeats Miami in MAC Championship after Huge Second-Half Comeback
By: Jack Mueller
Photos Courtesy of: Miami Athletics
The Miami RedHawks fell just short of their first MAC Championship, falling to the Akron Zips 76-74 in the title game on Saturday night in Cleveland. Travis Steele’s side led by as many as 18, but a 9-2 run over the final five minutes propelled Akron to victory.
40 minutes of basketball were decided in the final 35 seconds. Miami’s Evan Ipsaro drove to the lane, but couldn’t get his layup to drop. Akron capitalized. MAC MVP Nate Johnson euro-stepped through the lane and connected on a floater, giving his team the lead with just over two seconds to play.
“We were running it to eight so that hopefully if we put a shot up on the rim they wouldn’t have time to get a shot.” said Ipsaro, who finished with a game-high six assists and 12 points off the bench.
Johnson's heroics and level of play were rewarded, as he took home the MAC Tournament MVP award. The junior guard scored 53 points in the final two games to lead his team to victory.
Peter Suder once again stepped up when the RedHawks needed him most. Despite not being 100% healthy in the tournament run, Suder averaged 18 ponts and 7.6 rebounds over the course of the weekend. In the Championship, he added 24, with 16 coming in the first half alone. He was rewarded with a place in the All-Tournament Team.
Suder was joined on the All-Tournament team by Kam Craft. The sophomore sharpshooter added 11 points and five threes for the RedHawks.
The RedHawks needed to get off to a good start, and they did. Miami won the first half 46-34, propelled by a 54.5% FG rate and ten threes. Suder had four of those, with Craft and Byers adding two each. Defensively, Steele’s team forced 7 turnovers and held the Zips to just two threes.
“I thought we had a great game plan and our guys did a great job executing it.” said Steele.
The second half was a completely different story. Akron was more efficient (UA: 49% FG, MOH: 42%) and won both the rebounding (19-12) and turnover battles (2-7) in the final 20 minutes. In the closing minutes
“When you get to March, usually the team that wins the rebounding battle wins the game, and they won it.” said Steele.
After shooting over 60% for the first 30 minutes of the game, Miami made just two of their final 13 shots. Luke Skaljac's three and Woolfolk's layup were the only buckets Miami would put up in open play from the 10:26 mark until the final buzzer. The RedHawks also struggled to get to the foul line, only shooting five from the charity stripe. For comparison, Akron had 16 foul shots.
“How we got to the line five times, with as physical as that game was, is unbelievable.” said Steele.
Miami finishes their regular season and tournament run 25-9, their best record in the 21st Century. The RedHawks more than exceeded the expectations placed on them after they were voted 6th in the MAC preseason poll.
“Nobody believed in us…Nobody thought we were going to be good. That’s why they ranked us sixth.” said Steele.
“I knew exactly what we had for the entire year. From a player standpoint, from a person, and character standpoint, I thought we could win this thing.”
If not for a matter of seconds and inches, they just might have.
How It Happened
The Zips got off to a dream start, starting 3-3 from the field courtesy of two Johnson buckets and an Okonkwo dunk. Miami kept pace through a Mekhi Cooper three and Craft midrange, but still found themselves down 6-5. Suder changed, sparking an 8-0 run for Miami with his first three of the game. He then got an offensive board and set up Craft for three more, making it 11-6.
Akron’s Amani Lyles ended the run by converting a three-point play, but Suder responded with a spin layup to keep the lead at six. Okonkwo got free for another dunk, but Woolfolk finished a hook shot over the Akron big to respond in kind. Isaiah Gray’s mid-ranger kept the Zips within four, but Ipsaro and Byers’ first three pointers found the basket to make it 23-15.
Suder kept the three point train rolling with two more triples, hitting the second on a step-back over an Akron defender. He wasn’t done there. Suder knocked down another step-back triple to make it 32-16. He then got a steal and added two more on a coast-to-coast layup. Reece Potter extended the run to 16-3 with a one-legged fadeaway from the elbow.
Lyles ended the run there, sinking a three to get Akron’s offense into the game. Gray then forced a turnover, setting himself up for two under the rim to cut the lead to 13. Byers found space in the corner to knock down Miami’s ninth triple of the half, making it 41-25. Akron’s Sharron Young responded with a triple of his own, and Gray converted a layup to cut the lead to 11.
Two free throws from Johnson got the Zips back within nine with two minutes on the clock, but Woolfolk’s hook shot extended the lead to 11. Kam Craft missed on a triple, but made no mistake on his second triple of the possession, making it 46-32. Tavari Johnson’s mid range would be the last score of the half, and Miami went into the break leading by a dozen.
Woolfolk and Nate Johnson traded scores for their teams to open the second half, before Tavari Johnson knocked home a three to make it a nine point game. Suder responded with five more points to re-establish the 12-point lead. T. Johnson and Gray then connected on back-to-back shots to make it 53-45. Cooper then restored Miami’s double-digit lead with the RedHawks’ 12th three.
Two Akron layups were cancelled out by a Byers dunk, set up by a no-look pass from Suder. Hardman’s three and a layup from the MAC MVP cut the lead to six before Suder connected on another RedHawk three. The threes kept falling, with Hardman and Craft trading triples before Evan Ipsaro finished a layup through contact for a three point play to make it 67-56.
Akron responded with a 5-0 run highlighted by Tavari Johnson’s second triple. Miami’s Luke Skaljac came right back with another RedHawk three, but Johnson hit another three to keep it a six-point game.
Triples from Shammah Scott and Nate Johnson cut the lead to two as the clock ticked under five minutes. The scoring stopped there temporarily, as both teams failed to put up a point for over three minutes. Nate Johnson broke that drought with a floater to tie the game with 90 seconds left.
Two free throws from Scott gave the Zips their first lead in over 35 minutes, leaving under a minute on the clock. Ipsaro responded with two free shots of his own, knotting the game at 74.
With 35 seconds on the clock and the game tied, Steele used his final timeout. The ball was entrusted to Ipsaro, who was tasked to get downhill for a look at the rim. He did just that, but his layup bounced off the rim with 8.3 seconds on the clock. Six seconds later, the ball was in the Akron basket, courtesy of Nate Johnson.
Ipsaro’s half court heave missed left, and the buzzer sounded, signaling that Akron had repeated as tournament champions.
Up Next
Miami’s season isn’t necessarily over. The RedHawks’ record may be good enough to land them in a Postseason Tournament, it just won't be the one they wanted it to be.
Postseason or not, Miami’s 2024-2025 season will be remembered both in the record books, and in the minds of the RedHawk faithful. The team set a new program record in wins, and set the standard for future teams led by Travis Steele.
“We’re going to be back here next year…we’re not a one hit wonder.” he said.