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Middleton leads UA in big victory at Miami
Published on Wednesday, Feb 20, 2008
Beacon Journal staff report
It was a case of the University of Akron making a series of clutch offensive and defensive plays down the stretch.
The Zips, led by senior Cedrick Middleton, broke their six-year losing streak at Millett Hall on Tuesday night by edging host Miami 56-52 in a Mid-American Conference game that ended in controversy.
With the victory, the Zips (19-7, 9-4) remained in second place in the MAC East behind Kent State and put a stranglehold on clinching a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament.
''This is the best win we have had since I have been here,'' said Keith Dambrot, who is in his fourth year as UA coach. ''Defense, rebounding, offense, we executed.
''With Jeremiah (Wood) out, we showed we can win in different ways and with different guys.''
Middleton, who surpassed
the 1,000-point mark in his career in the first half, led the Zips in scoring with 18 points. He was 6-of-8 from the floor, including 3-of-4 on 3-pointers. Chris McKnight added 10 points and six rebounds.
Center Tim Pollitz had 18 points, and guard Kenny Hayes had 13 for Miami (13-12, 7-6).
The score was 50-50 with 3:30 remaining, when Middleton's basket put UA ahead 52-50. A layup by Michael Bramos of Miami tied the score — and set up a wild finish.
Miami got the ball back, but McKnight blocked a shot to give the Zips the ball. A shot by Nick Dials missed, but Quade Milum dunked back the offensive rebound to make it 54-52 with 35 seconds left.
On the Miami possession, Pollitz got the ball on the right wing, drove into the middle and scored. However, the basket was wiped out when Pollitz was called for a charge.
Seconds later, Nate Linhart missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Miami got the rebound. But Mike Bardo blocked a layup attempt with six seconds left, and Middleton hit two free throws with one second left for the final margin.
In the final seconds and after the game, members of the Miami coaching staff vehemently protested the Pollitz charge and the Bardo block, which they thought was a foul.
The first half, which ended 27-27, was highlighted by two early baskets by Middleton that allowed him to go past the 1,000-point mark for his career.
The Zips had leads of 16-10 and 19-14, but they did not score in the final 3:04, and the RedHawks had the last four points for the tie.
In the second half, quick 3-point baskets by Middleton and Dials helped the Zips go ahead 35-29. Hayes then hit two from behind the arc to get Miami back to 39-38, but a dunk by Milum and another 3-pointer by Middleton made it 44-38.
Miami rallied back to lead 47-45, but UA closed with a 11-5 advantage in the final six minutes.
Get the full article here.
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