Zips basketball: Three observations in 72-58 Miami win

The Akron Zips didn’t wake up until the second half of their 72-58 win over the Miami RedHawks.  They had plenty of opportunities to take a substantial lead in the first half only to allow Miami back into the game with some sloppy overall play.  At halftime the Zips were down in every statistical category of import including rebounds, points in the paint (how the hell that happened I’ll never know considering the Zips’ frontline) and fast break points.  Ultimately they claimed victory because of three reasons:

• Senior center Zeke Marshall came out to play.  The RedHawks effectively dealt with Marshall in the first half, holding him to two points and two rebounds in the first half.  He turned that around in the second to add 12 points and six rebounds.
• The Zips got locked in one of those half-court games that they have no business playing.  It throws their entire game off.  In the second half they pretty much shrugged off Miami’s efforts to keep the tempo down.   The result:  they forced 12 second half turnovers (20 overall) and scored 17 second half points off them.
• General energy.  Two different teams showed up to play the game Tuesday.  One looked like some zombies from The Walking Dead and the other looked like a basketball team.  If they’re tiring toward the end of the season, they need to find a second wind.

Turning point:  The 13-2 run the Zips used to take control of the game at the beginning of the second half.

Player of the game:  Miami’s Jon Harris tried to keep his team in it with 21 points and six rebounds. Marshall’s 14 points and eight rebounds led the Zips.